I think now is the right time of the year when I can tell you about our trip to Rovaniemi, located in the Lapland region in Finland. I have had the pleasure of visiting some of the North European countries already and I simply love them. They are different one from each other, but there are some common aspects that I love. So, when my wife suggested a trip to Lapland, I was immediately in 😊. We had the option to take a direct flight to Rovaniemi (which was super good also for our son, that the traveling time was short), but on the other hand, we were limited in time, and we spent only a few days in the area. It was not much, but it was enough to meet Santa and just enough to create the desire to return in the near future. And by the way, do you know what the Finnish word Joulupukki means? Santa Claus, of course 🎅
So yes, the main purpose of our trip was to meet Santa Clause, but of course we’ve experienced a little bit of Lapland as well. At the time of our trip, our son was 5 years old...I think my wife just "used, the kid as an excuse" to travel 😋
Upon arrival at Rovaniemi airport we were in a completely new word for us. We are living in a part of Europe with a strong Mediterranean climate and snow is very rare in our hometown. We have very mild winters, and the temperatures are rarely very low. Finland was of course different: tones of snow, cold and dark, very dark. Since it was cloudy, it was dark the whole day.
We were embraced by the white landscape covered with snow. Even the roads were white. We are used to drive on “clean” roads even in snow, while here the roads were all covered with snow, and it was a completely different atmosphere.
RANUA WILDLIFE PARK
On our way to the hotel, we made a first stop at the local zoo, named Ranua Wildlife Park. I’ve never been to a zoo that was all covered with snow, while for my son I think they could say: “his never been on the snow”. 😊 As said, we rarely see snow, and when we see it, we are all existed, and the kids even more. While my wife and I, we were looking at animals, he was rolling in the snow, playing, jumping in etc..I doubt he realised that he was actually in the zoo.
ROVANIEMI CITY
In the afternoon (I think it was afternoon, since it was still dark) we arrived at our hotel, right in the centre of Rovaniemi. The city is quite small, nice to walk around and for us, the nicest thing was that the snow was all around, even in the city. It was so nice to seat done in one of the cute bars and have a drink, a hot Glogi.
REINDEER RIDES
The next day we’ve gone for a special experience. We went to visit the Sami people and to discover their traditional way of living and the strong connection they have with reindeers. We’ve first had a very “romantic” (as would my wife say) ride with the reindeers. It was actually very nice, since we had our own big sled, covered with fur coats and we were able to ride the sled on our own. Well, honestly, the reindeers were well-trained, and they knew exactly where to go. They were doing a small circle in the wood, because they knew they will receive a delicious moss at the end.
VISITING THE SAMI PEOPLE
To get warm, after the ride, we were invited into a traditional Sami house (called Kota). A simple round building, with a central fireplace. The whole experience was unique. In the warmth of the fire, a young Sami was telling us the legends of Sami people and their connection with nature. She also told of the tradition of drawing reindeer antlers with charcoal on the front in the way that a Sami can reincarnate into a reindeer. At that point she spotted my nicely round, big bold head and I’ve ended with two big charcoal antlers right on my front. If this means, that I will return to Finland, that is more than ok😊.
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HUSKY SLEDDING
In the afternoon we were ready for Husky sledding. Dog sledding has been a way of life in the Arctic for millennia. The dogs were so funny, they were so full of energy. They were quite loud, and they interrupted the quietness of the Arctic Forest. The ride is very exciting, and I haven’t imagined that they would go so fast. The connection between the dogs and the “driver” is fascinating.
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We also planned a night in the nature to observe the Aurora borealis, but the weather was quite cloudy and there was low possibility to see it. Unfortunately, this is something that I haven’t seen yet but would really love to see it at least once.
DISCOVERING SANTA PARK
Instead of chasing the Aurora, we went to an amusement park – Santa Park. It is a very nice park, especially for the kids, but we enjoyed it as well. Of course, it is all Santa and Christmas-themed and is located inside an artificial cave. It is nice when you are entering the underground any you discover a magic and fairy tale world.
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There you can find the Post Office. We took the occasion to send a postcard home to our families 😊.
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There are some other workshops like cookies decoration. Kids can decorate their own ginger brad biscuits.
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In a second work shop you can create Santa figure. I was impressed by the walls that were full of small Santa figures. The whole park and individual spaces are so nicely decorated.
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Then there is a The Elf school. You enter a special and unique school room (the funniest thing is that you enter through a very small door, so you really have the impression that it is something hidden and not for everyone.) In the school then, the children are thought about how to become an Elf. It is very funny, especially with younger kids that still believe in elves.
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The only thing that was a little bit tricky for us was the Santa Office. We didn’t check before what exactly it was and when we entered the place there was Santa waiting for us. Our son was disorientated, since he knew that he would visit Santa only the next day. Luckily, we managed to somehow explain that he is not the “original one” but that he is just one of his helpers, like the ones at supermarkets…Uffff, it was close…😅
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VISIT SANTA CLAUSE VILLAGE
On the last day of our stay in Rovaniemi we finally went to Santa Clause Village. Charming location, that was not that crowded, as I would have expected.
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First, we went to “cross” the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is a circle of latitude that runs 66° 32′ 35″ north of the Equator. It marks the southern latitude where the sun can stay continuously below or above the horizon for 24 hours. This is known as the Midnight Sun (in summer) and the Polar Night (in winter). In the Santa Village the line is clearly marked.
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The Santa clause Office is open everyday (since 1992) but I think that the most charming is to visit in the winter. So, we got in line and waited to be received by Santa. I must admit that I was excited, so I can just imagine how it was for my son who still believed in him. As imagined Santa Clause was very nice and he reached into my hand, and at that point I said: Nice to finally meet you! My wife was giggling, while the youngest one was almost blessed. It all went very quickly; we took a picture with him, and our son got a present (that you have to buy in advance).
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Happy for the moment that we had, we went outside to enjoy the Finnish winter. My son was doing some sledding, my wife was enjoying some windows shopping (that time from time turned from windows shopping, to inside shopping) and in the afternoon we set on the plane and flew home.
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These were a few full days in Lapland that are still very vivid in our memories,
and we remember it with joy every end of the year. Finland, I will be back 😊!
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