Enjoying Lapland and the Northern Lights!
One of our group members just came back from a wonderful trip to Lapland in Northern Finland and Norway. An amazing area, but since so little is known about it to most people, let's change that!
Lapland is for the most part located north of the Artic Circle and spreads over Finland, Norway, Sweden and even parts of Russia, however, only Finland and Sweden call the area actually by this name - so don't get confused! And of course: it is THE place to see the Northern Lights - which I did! (and even managed to take some cool pictures!!)
Funny thing is that it is located so far north that the people experience three months of nearly complete darkness and three months of constant sun every year. Well I got lucky, because last week were one of the first sunny days in months and of course I made best use of this great opportunity - enjoying the sun, 'coz that's not really happening that much in Sweden these days - plus I managed to take some great pictures to share my experience with you.
I went on a trip with ESN Lund and I can definitely recommend it to all of you! Great value for your money (which was a lot, I agree), but some of the most amazing experiences ever! I'm normally really not the group travel kind, but in this case it is the cheapest opportunity to do this trip when you are a student. All the activities and nature alone definitely make up for it!
So, we flew into Helsinki and took the bus up to Saariselkä in Northern Finland.
On the way we visited the snowcastle in Kemi, which had (like everything in Finland nowadays) the Angry Birds theme this year. Reeeally cool place though, they even had a chapel and a bar - all solely made out of ice and snow!
Being so far north, a short stop at Santa's home to say "Hi" was inevitable as well.
And I have to say, his reindeers are really cute!
The next day was packed with excitement. First we visited a husky farm and cuddled with some puppies,
before we went on a safari where we could ride the husky sledge ourselves, so much fun!
After that we rode on a snowmobile. Those are some really cool vehicles, but make sure to stay in the back of the group, so you can go a little faster ;)
At night we caught a sneak peak of the Northern Lights, so there was excitement all over, but there was more yet to come!
The next day we went up to the Artic Ocean in Norway and enjoyed a wonderful picturesque landscape with reindeers, hills, forests and frozen lakes - it really was like Winter Wonderland!
We arrived at the little village Bugøynes at a fjord, which is famous for its king crabs that are exported all over the world from here - although the village itself only holds 300 inhabitants!
And what it is also known for: a sauna at the beach! Yes, you heard me right, we went swimming in the Arctic Ocean!! So much fun and the temperature changes and run in and out of the water, makes you feel very alive!
But what we have been waiting for most, definitely were the Northern Lights. You really had to be lucky, because they only appear 100-150 days per year, but as we had 4 nights up north, we had some changes, and we were in luck! Look at these great images (no retouch!!) and tell me you don't wanna see this!
The last night in Saariselkä they were even that strong that they lit up the whole sky and swirled around and we even saw them in green and violet! As the appearance of the lights can happen within seconds and they come and please as they go, I didn't have my tripod ready for that one, but sometimes it is even better to just enjoy what is happening around you.
On this trip we also had the possibility to go snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing, snowboarding or skiing, but what I enjoyed most: sledging! Saariselkä has one of the longest sledging hills; an incredible 1.2km of piste, so long that they even hold world championships there and also long enough for my eye lashes to get frozen by the time I arrived at the bottom of the hill. Haha, absolutely great fun!
On the last day, we visited a reindeer farm and took a little ride and those fellas get really close!
But don't touch them, because although tamed, they always remain wild animals. And did you know that they loose their antlers every year?! So much work, just to impress the other sex, but seems to be worth it, since one reindeer can have up to 20 reindeer girls in their harem.
On the way back we had a stop in Helsinki before flying back. Interesting yet distinct city and when we were there it was completely snowed in, which gave it its own special charme.
All in all, an awesome trip that I'll never forget - especially because of the Northern Lights!!
Any questions, comments or additions? Let us know!
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