I was awakened by warm berry juice from the hotel staff at my wake up call time. Warm berry juice seems to be a thing they do in Finland because they offer it everywhere! I undid my warm cocoon and put my feet into my freezing boots and headed to the warm locker room to get ready for the day.
The hotel has a nice breakfast buffet that is included in your stay along with a great view of snow and a few reindeer that you can watch while dining. You can feed these beautiful animals and they are quite friendly!
Today I start off with learning how to ice fish! When in Rome right? We venture out to the lake off the property where the ice is one meter thick and is safe for snowmobiles and all other winter activities. There is a small group of us that go out and drill our hole in the ice, scoop the slushy ice out of the hole and put the maggot on the hook right before dropping our line in the lake. These fishing rods are small and my son would probably scoff at the size but it does the trick because I caught a fish! Our guide was from Belgium and moved to Finland a few years back. He was very engaging and we discussed differences between the cultures and what it was like to live in Finland.
On the property of the Arctic snow hotel (for free) they have snow tubing, a cleared out area where you can scooter across the ice and snow shoes to take hikes in the forest or across the lake. I took advantage of all of these fun activities just like a 40 year old kid should do.
Today was lunch at the Kota restaurant which was about average but was warm by the fire and peaceful.
The receptionist called me when my glass igloo was ready to move into and boy was I ready for a warm place to relax! The igloos are very warm and inviting with cozy beds that are adjustable at the knees and head which comes in handy if your back hurts or you just want to get a better angle to look up at the stars. The igloo was very clean and open from about the neck up to just about anyone walking by so make sure you change in the bathroom as well as watch your head when going in and out of the igloo because it is VERY short!
Next up was a cocktail at the “warm” sky bar prior to dinner and then onto the Ice restaurant inside the snow hotel. This menu is selected by yourself prior to your arrival. It started with mulled wine and a bowl of soup, followed by a delicious chicken entree and a dessert served on an ice plate in the shape of a leaf. The food was delicious, the presentation amazing and the service top notch. I had met a couple from England that asked me to join them for dinner so the conversation was memorable as they shared their family history, British politics and everything that has changed in the last several years, how Covid has impacted the UK and of course their kids. This restaurant is a must to experience but make sure you dress very warm with thermals, gloves, boots and coats it is quite chilly just sitting and eating 😊.
The night of the sky exploding in green was about to happen and nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I have shared some photos and videos on my IG page but it truly was like nothing I had seen before. The green and pink shades were dancing across the sky and sometimes even a green looking rainbow squiggling all across the sky from north to south. I have seen the northern lights in Iceland before but it was very faint and the colors and shapes of the aurora weren’t as visible to the naked eye. I stood outside for hours taking pictures and videos with my phone (which works great)! I kept going in and out of my igloo to get better pictures. I tried going to sleep but how many times do you get to see something this incredible when you are laying there in a glass igloo. One eye shut and open until about 3am 😬. They say the best times to see the northern lights are between 10pm and 2am. If you haven’t seen the Northern Lights I hope you get the chance like I did because it’s beautiful ❤️
You’ve had an amazing adventure! Do the Oklahoma skies pale in comparison?