Finland and the land of Laps
It’s funny as I look through some of my old posts, I remember how this blog started, the idea was really just finding the most efficient way to send word home while I was on my sabbatical, a way not to have to send 100 emails every week and a way to share some of my travels with everyone back home. I never really thought that 3 years later I’d still be writing, I actually never thought I’d still be away and I really NEVER thought I’d be writing about places like the one I’m about to talk about.
After my year away in warm countries I realised how much I actually liked winter and after my trip to Lapland last year, I knew I would end up going back. So this year, along with the only other person I know about as crazy as I am to do these trips (who also agreed to get lost in the Norwegian Fjords with me) we set off to Finish Lapland for 5 days of “independent” cross-country skiing, so the nex few entries will be about our trip in the great North.
We flew into Helsinki and from there to Kittila which is about 150 to 200kms north of the arctic circle, it’s even further north than the actual official residence of M and Mrs Claus who spend their off time near Rovaniemi in Finish Lapland.
Landing in Kittila is almost like landing in the desert when you look down from the plane, only a few lights here and there, a few cars, it’s quite impressive. Temperatures were a very reasonable -10 to -15 degrees.
I won’t go through every detail but we left from Pallastunturi hotel in the middle of Yallas natural reserve with 20kgs on our backs for 15kms of cross-country skiing….. yeah when you haven’t really skied in 3 years and have all this extra weight going up and down hills, 15kms seems like the longest distance in the world but the scenery just takes your breath away. It feels like being in another world, you can’t even call it a winter wonderland, it doesn’t do it justice. The way the sun reflects off the snows, the way the trees almost look sugar coated, the silence that makes you hear your own heart beat.
So here we are Day 1 and still looking in full energy.
Surrounded by a winter wonder land
Aaahhh the end of the day :)
After my year away in warm countries I realised how much I actually liked winter and after my trip to Lapland last year, I knew I would end up going back. So this year, along with the only other person I know about as crazy as I am to do these trips (who also agreed to get lost in the Norwegian Fjords with me) we set off to Finish Lapland for 5 days of “independent” cross-country skiing, so the nex few entries will be about our trip in the great North.
We flew into Helsinki and from there to Kittila which is about 150 to 200kms north of the arctic circle, it’s even further north than the actual official residence of M and Mrs Claus who spend their off time near Rovaniemi in Finish Lapland.
Landing in Kittila is almost like landing in the desert when you look down from the plane, only a few lights here and there, a few cars, it’s quite impressive. Temperatures were a very reasonable -10 to -15 degrees.
I won’t go through every detail but we left from Pallastunturi hotel in the middle of Yallas natural reserve with 20kgs on our backs for 15kms of cross-country skiing….. yeah when you haven’t really skied in 3 years and have all this extra weight going up and down hills, 15kms seems like the longest distance in the world but the scenery just takes your breath away. It feels like being in another world, you can’t even call it a winter wonderland, it doesn’t do it justice. The way the sun reflects off the snows, the way the trees almost look sugar coated, the silence that makes you hear your own heart beat.
So here we are Day 1 and still looking in full energy.
Surrounded by a winter wonder land
Aaahhh the end of the day :)
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