2015 Dec. Finland. Rovaniemi.
Flew in to Rovaniemi from Helsinki, and was greeted by the stunningly gorgeous white winter landscape. So cool and excited, I’m in Lapland, the Arctic Circle! I really want to see the aurora!
The first stop in Rovaniemi was Santa Claus Village. I am a hardcore cynic, and I cannot wait to meet and authenticate the Santa Claus here. 🙂 It is clearly a tourist trap, but kids would love this place so much. Personally what I liked best was the Marimekko and Iittala outlet store right next to it. =)
Reindeer sleigh ride around the wooded area in Santa Claus Village compound. It was freezing cold but a unique experience nevertheless. The hot berry beverage and outdoor fire at the waiting area felt so good in the sub zero temperature.
Tried the local specialty Reindeer Burger at one of the cafes. Sauteed minced reindeer meat slices are served with Finnish dark rye bread, fries and lingonberry sauce. Tasted alright. The mushroom soup was surprisingly very good and hearty, full of mushrooms and flavour!
There are a few outlet shops in the Village, and a Santa Claus Post Office where you can send postcards.
The first night in Rovaniemi, we walked to the river/lake near the hotel at midnight and waited, hoping to see the aurora, and we did! So lucky, one more item off my bucket list.
The next morning, we visited the Ranua Wildlife Park and saw a number of animals in their winter habitat.
Daylight was very short during this time of the year, sunrise was at 9am and sunset at 2pm. The changing light conditions, against the snowy landscape was simply gorgeous!
Aurora hunting on the second night. We were lucky to see it again in a dark wooded area, though it was not very strong, but still very excited!
The next day was a free day, so we borrowed bicycles from the hotel and went out exploring the vicinity in Rovaniemi.
We also dined at the “best and highly recommended” Nili Restaurant in Rovaniemi. Service was slooooow, and food was only okay so I am not gonna waste time writing about it. But it was after all the best choice in Rovaniemi, if you would like a nicer option than the really bad Scandic Rovaniemi Hotel’s buffet. =)
The rest of the afternoon we wandered around town, and visited the Artikum (museum and science centre) and some art galleries.
Hopeful for a stronger aurora sighting, we booked another aurora hunting tour directly with a local tour operator Safartica. The service and tour package was so much better (and cheaper!) than the one arranged by EU Holidays. Price included all the extra warm winter gear you would need. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy night and there was no aurora activity, the experience was excellent nevertheless.
We moved on to Saarisselka the following day, for a highlight stay in the Kelo glass igloo!
