New Year's day in Lapland

 

Helsinki

We start the evening of 26 for landing at Helsinki. Throughout the following day wandering around the city, we see the old market, the center and take the tram, which makes the tour of the city. It's cold but not cold and after all there is enough light to go around.
We stop for lunch at a nice restaurant where we heated with a tasty potato soup and salmon.
In the evening we go out to dinner in a very particular, Zolt, a restaurant set in an old barn where instead of tables, there are tractors and farm equipment, and taste for the first time, the reindeer meat.

Kemi

The following day we take the flight to Kemi in the north in the Gulf of Bothnia, and already our arrival in Lapland we understand where we are: our plane lands on a snowy track completely!
We arrive at our hotel which will be the basis for all trips in the coming days and we brought into the room to test thermal industry that comes from organizing excursions: thermal overalls, gloves, socks, boots, helmet.
Actually I always use my boots, similar to those that are supplied with data, but more comfortable.
Here in the north light is less and less hours a day: there are about 4 hours of light itself, in which the central two hours (between mezzogionro and one) are like us in the morning (winter) while others are light. The sun never rises never to the horizon, and the rest of the day spent in the dark. Our physical habit seems to change abruptly and hours of sleep, stretch often in this holiday, not least because of the cold, we will wake up later in the morning, and often do a nap in the afternoon.

Snowmobile!

December 29: Wake up call, breakfast and off with our snowmobiles Today we will make a path on the sea ice up to a farm where raising sled dogs and try for a few hundred meters to drive! The route is really beautiful, because we move along the sea between the islands with summer holiday homes of Finns, very pretty and colorful. Soon discover, the first stop, the power of the sea ice: after a moment of silence a roar and a crazy sensation similar to that of the earthquake ..... but do not worry: it is "only" the sea refracting the waves under the ice! Let us go snowmobiling and after about an hour of hiking we arrived at "Camp Husky." Let the true power of these tireless dogs, but in a curve too happy ... we flip the port and I remember at home as a nice bruise on his arm. After driving experience we enjoy a hot beverage (chocolate and berries) in Kota, ie a Lapp tent, before resuming the fall and snowmobiles in Kemi.
After a nap we go out to dinner at the restaurant "Casa di Jankala", a historical building Kemi adapted to the restaurant and very comfortable. We ate a tasty stew Moose.

The Icebreaker

Today is great day of Icebreaker Sampo. We start from our hotel to get to the port (frozen) for Kemi. Here, one of the former Soviet icebreaker today plays tourist service, and I must say that this is definitely an experience not to be missed.
The power released by the ship to break the ice is impressive: the ship moves forward quite quickly, issandosi constantly on the ice and split with his weight, opening a navigable passage between the two crusts of sea ice.
While "sail" across the ship visit and have lunch on board, but the fun comes in the afternoon.
The vessel stops., And rotates 180 degrees by opening a small "pool" in sea ice: at this point, great wear thermal suits and we dive into the sea!
Let the cork for 5-10 minutes each, then leave the water except in buffissimo, like Imbranato seals, sliding on ice to the belly. After this excitement, there is also time to take a walk on the sea ice with the impressive silhouette of the ship behind and around a white sea ... the light is so particular that I believe that small so I have imagined the light of Nordic tales ...
Return by boat to Kemi and in the evening we go to another restaurant, named after Finnish unpronounceable "Hyllynmylly", also a historic building (it was the court of Kemi nell'Ottocento) all in wood.

New Year's evening

December 31: The hike today takes us inside the Finnish tundra, up to a farm where reindeer are raised.
We make a short sleigh ride, an alternative to driving the reindeer, animals seraphic and even some 'Tonti. The cold was biting and now nobody wants to fall ill in view of the festival this evening.
We then stoppered in a Kota Glogge and drinking chocolate. Rientramo in a hotel and get ready for dinner: the evening suit thermal and away! Meripitti to the Lodge. The aperitif is offered to us on a bench outside the ice in the river (ice cream) at about - 20 degrees. Truly impressive. Then dinner, well, and we wait for the transfer x mezzanotee to Lapland Lodge, nestled in the forest. At our arrival the best surprise of the evening: a great Northern Lights is silhouetted in the sky .... waiting for midnight in his company around the fire, listening to the predictions of the shaman for the new year, and drinking hot Glogge.
So spend the night but return to our Kemi there is still time for one last toast: we do in the bar of ice near the port, an enormous igloo with everything, but everything inside was built with the ice.

What a cold day!!

Today it's really cold, -30 and is almost the Finnish barbell. The excursion today includes output snowmobile for ice fishing, but really cold.
The hole in the ice closes too quickly and just dipped the wire is already frozen ....
Then we return to the base a little 'ahead of schedule. We then do a nice sauna and we relax.

Santa Claus!

After breakfast leave for visit Rovaniemi and the Arctic museum, really interesting to see just how hard is life in these parts, but mainly how much was in the past.
After the museum we go in the village of Santa Claus where we are accepted before the Father, for the photo rite.
Lunch in a restaurant, ice and later on, at the airport for the flight back!