After experimenting with knobs and dials we successfully enjoyed a sauna which was
attached to our private bathroom. Bliss! Then it was off again into the night sky to search for
the northern lights, without success, again.
The next day we enjoyed another snowmobile safari through the forest across lakes and
rivers to the Russian border to a lovely snowbound village where we enjoyed steaming hot
vegetable soup and chocolate crepes for lunch, taking a different trail back to our hotel.
Another inspiring day in the arctic-circle! Then it was off to our next hotel, where we stayed
in a glass igloo complete with a bed which could be adjusted to view the northern lights
through the glass ceiling. But again it was all cloudy!!
Rovaniemi, our next town to explore had many modern buildings. Then onto Santa’s village
where we had a nice chat with Santa after negotiating long corridors with all sorts of
imaginative time pieces which explained just how Santa delivers the gifts overnight. Next we
drove to Kimi on the coast where we boarded an old ice breaker ship to further explore the
coastline. The massive plates of ice are between 50-70cm thick and we just seemed to glide
through as the ice cracked and slid aside – amazing! We saw a seal relaxing on an ice flow
and then it was time to dress in an enormous red wet suit and stumble down the gangplank
before sliding into the icy arctic ocean. Surprisingly, it wasn’t cold, as we floated and
paddled around before trying to get out. We had to roll like a fat walrus back onto the ice
flow and then try and stand up. All very challenging! The whole experience was great fun.
From Rovaniemi it was on to Munio with locals before arriving at Harriniva for the next
stage of our adventure. We explored the surrounding cabins , the tiny village and the frozen
river all white with deep snow and icy paths and watched snowmobiles zoom by and then
the silent dog sledders swish past the across the river into Sweden and watched as the
centre of the river’s currents begin the swirl as the ice and snow began to melt. A
wonderful, magical land!
Next day our guide, Dirk, took us snowshoeing through a winter wonderland of trees bowing
down with snow and dripping icicles festooning every branch. We plodded behind Dirk over
very deep sticky snow, which was quite difficult but beautiful as huge snowflakes drifted all
around us. We clambered over tree trunks buried in the snow over little bridges piled high
with snow, and happily trudged after Dirk overawed by the experience, until I fell into a
huge hole, up to my waist. A huge snowdrift had just given way underneath me. It was
extremely difficult to extricate myself amid all the laughter and help offered by Dirk and
Joan. Finally we resumed our trekking over more snow covered logs under drooping
branches before heading back to the hotel for a hot bowl of delicious soup, cold but elated.
Again we searched the cloudy night sky for the northern lights – to no avail.
Next day we dressed in our one piece padded suit complete with balaclava, helmet, woollen
socks and huge boots to hop on a snowmobile and follow our guide, Dirk, this time over hills
through forests along frozen rivers and across frozen lakes. It was challenging to hang on,
control the speed and direction as we bounced, bucked glided zoomed and zigzagged all
over the country side. It was just exciting and exhilarating all at once. We watched a pair of
beautiful white singing swans beside a hole in the ice and then frightened by our noise, they
gracefully flew away together. We visited a local riverside cottage for a delicious lunch
before repeating the process again heading back to our hotel. As we arrived back to our