Finland 2013

After a very delightful Christmas celebration with Rachel, Jarad and Rachel's family, followed by a relatively quiet New Years eve, we finally boarded our flight on the 2^nd Jan 2013 from London bound for Ivalo in the far north of Finland.

Joining us for the next 4 days were Rachel, Jarad and her parents and after landing we all boarded a bus for the 40 minute drive south to Kakslauttanen, a resort facility located in the pine forests of this region of Finland.  

Now to try and convey just where Kakslauttanen is located in Finland, its on a latitude of 68 deg North, or over 1,000 kms north of the capital of Helsinki by road, so just inside the Arctic Circle and in quite a remote part of the country.

Kakslauttanen is located in the far north of Finland

So why had we all gone to Kakslauttanen?  There were a few primary reasons:

• To experience some very cold temperatures
• To hopefully see the Aurora Borealis 
• Try some winter activities inside the Arctic Circle (66.5 deg Nth)
• Stay in a glass igloo

The flight from London was very normal in a 737 jet but as soon as we landed we knew we were somewhere very different.  For a start, after collecting our bags and walking outside to catch the transfer bus, we were smacked in the face by the freezing cold air at around -18C.

As expected, there was snow everywhere but there was also a lot of ice on the footpaths and also on the roads.  So after boarding the bus, we started our 40 min trip on those same ice covered roads in a bus doing ~90 kph and no sense of slipping or sliding at all.

Arriving in the pitch dark at Kakslauttanen was surreal, bright lights showing off the main building, snow laden pine trees all around it and large log cabins sprinkled in amongst the trees.

Main reception building on arrival at Kakslauttanen

With the check in completed and a few rules and 'how to's' finalised, we loaded our bags onto our some little sleds and hauled them behind us along snow covered pathways through the forest until we each found our allocated log cabins allocated for the stay... unbelievable.

The small sleds used to cart your own bags to each cabin

Our cabin was quite large, very comfortable and VERY warm, too warm in fact, so we turned the temperature down, unpacked and went to sleep.  

Next morning we awoke, -20C showing on the thermometer and to a very dull dusk type light which we learned over breakfast would be as bright as the skies would get during our 4 days here and only lasting just over 1.5hrs before descending into absolute darkness again.

Rob heading back to our cabin to get warm

During our stay here we never saw the sun rise above the horizon!

Time to explore, so we all went walking along some of the paths around the complex whilst there was still a little light and were lucky to see some deer that quickly moved away from us.  

We followed the deer trying to get some photos of them but after crossing the main north/south road in the country, when we tried to follow, we clumsily slipped over on the ice covering the entire road.  

Yep... solid ice and after re-gaining our feet and slowly sliding our way off the road, we heard a funny clicker clacking sound getting closer until a car came eventually into view as more deer decided to cross the road in front of it. The sound was the studs in the tyres allowing the car to drive safely on the road's ice surface.

Need to be careful driving on icy roads in Finlands far north

So over the next 4 days in this stunning environment we tried and achieved a large number of first for us at least.

Each day whenever entering the main building for meals, we would all look at the very large thermometer showing the outside temperature located next to the front door and whilst -20C was pretty well the norm, on one very chilly and memorable occasion it showed -26C.

Now to cope with this range of temperatures we would be wearing:

• 3 pairs of socks
• thermal tights and thick trousers
• 4-5 layers of merino garments on upper body
• down jacket with built in down hood
• scarves covering exposed face
• 2 gloves, 1 thin to hold cameras after taking off the down gloves

Cameras and tripods exposed to the cold air get unbelievably cold to hold and the batteries don't last as long, so we carried spare batteries next to our bodies to keep them warm and help them last longer.

On 2 occasions we went on ski-doo tours through the forest for about 3 hours each time, one whilst it was pitch black and the other whilst there was some dull light.  These are sooo much fun zipping around on well the used paths and when the throttle is opened up a little too much, they really take off.

Rob astride her ski-doo chariot

Follow the leader through the forest

In order - Rachel, Jarad & Rob

Crossing a frozen lake bound for the teepee in the forest for a hot drink

For a slower mode of travel, 4 of us tried dog sledding again through the forests, 2 of us per sled and taking turns standing on the back of the sled to hold the reins and stop the sled when needed.

We were briefed on the main rules which were, when standing on the back of the sled... never... never... ever... ever let go of the reins, no mater what.  

The second main rule was watch the dogs because when they need a bit of help to get up a rise in the path they will turn and look at you.  The person standing on the back of the sled then needs to jump off and help push the sled without letting go of the reins and then jump back on again... hmmm.

Getting to know the dogs

View from the sled 

Jarad on his sled heading into the forest

An even slower and very peaceful experience was a similar expedition through the forest with Rob and myself each on own sled being pulled by a reindeer and with light snow falling us, the tour being lead by a local Inuit.

Rob in her sled

Our Inuit guide leading us through the forest

During each of these experiences, we certainly got to see some very beautiful scenery, the snow making it all look even more beautiful.

Our cabin

Outside toilet which was a tad chilly

Very picturesque indeed

On the last night of our stay, we were booked to stay in one of the glass igloos at Kakslauttanen, all of which are self contained and as is typical at this time of the year, very very warm inside with a large fur covered bed in the centre of the main area.

Rows of glass igloos

After settling in, we were mesmerised as we lay on the bed simply looking up through the glass roof of the igloo watching the carpet of stars laid out above us... just glorious.

What a view

The final experience thanks to Rachel and Jarad's keen eyes was to get a glimpse on the horizon of the elusive Aurora Borealis.  So for a few hours we stood exposed to the freezing temperatures taking longer exposure photos of it.

The amazing Aurora Borealis

Our time in Kakslauttanen was at an end and was simply quite an incredible overall experience.  We bade farewell to everyone else as they headed back to London and we caught our flight to Helsinki, the capital of Finland.

It was also cold in Helsinki at around -10C and with some occasional snow falling, adding to the mounds of snow already piled on the sides of both roads and pathways that had been progressively cleared of it.

Heaped snowed clear off the footpaths and roads

Whilst Helsinki was interesting during our 3 day stay there, it is not one of the most beautiful cities we have visited previously in Scandinavia, but maybe it was the dull cloud laden winter skies causing our impressions of it.

Main shopping street of Helsinki in winter

Snow laden park

Main Lutheran cathedral in Helsinki

One of the more fascinating observations for us was found whilst walking around the main harbour of Helsinki, not because of the boats moored there which were interesting, but because the ocean was frozen over in parts, not something we normally get to observe.

Both Above: Not the sort of ocean conditions we're used to

With out time in Helsinki at an end, its port however was the gateway to our next brief destination... Estonia.

Yes it was cold in Finland, very cold in fact, but now we have learned hot to cope with it so at some time in the future we will return to the Arctic and experience again, especially to hopefully toes a lot more of the amazing Aurora Borealis!