Ok, let’s be honest with each other. Taking a short trip to Lapland, Finland was totally for me. Going to see Santa, entirely for me. Wanting to pet reindeer, yep, all me. Of course the kids were excited to do those things too, but this trip to Finland was 100% my idea, and my dream. I was completely in love with the marketed vision of visiting the Arctic Circle with a fresh batch of fluffy snow while being pulled on a sled behind some happy reindeer on our way to Santa’s workshop. Oh, and doing all of this under a green-glowing aurora sky while wrapped warmly in hides and sipping hot chocolate. I mean, who wouldn’t want to do that!?!
But, that dream comes with a large price tag, and I begrudgingly accepted that, if we wanted to visit Santa, we’d have to forego the snow, and sleigh ride, and probably the green-glowing sky. Shucks. Also, flights to Lapland aren’t cheap, nor are accommodations and food. We had to kick into frugal-planning mode in order to make this experience happen.
The first way in which we saved some money was to book the cheapest flight; one that happened to depart at a very early hour from an airport that was over an hour's commute from our place in London. Our only feasible option for catching that flight was to spend the night before in a hotel close to the airport. The day arrived when we’d make our way out of the city to the hotel and we discovered that the entire London Underground would not be operating due to a strike. Ugh. So we had to get creative about how to get there and leave earlier than expected. We ended up taking a bus to another bus to a new train to the overground train to another bus and then walking over 2 km to reach our hotel. What ought to have been a 75 min trip turned into a 4 hour experience. But we made it to the hotel!
Very early the next morning, we made our way to the airport (in two cabs even though the cab company said that they would send a van that would fit us all together, grr) and got checked-in and through security with very little drama. Phew. The 4-hour flight felt very long. It was a full flight with many families and no “in-flight entertainment”. Even our kids were getting restless and needing to move around after a couple hours. No one slept. We were too excited (and so were the rest of the folks on the plane, apparently).
And then, on our descent, we broke through the low clouds to see the pine forests dusted with a bit of white snow and the whole plane erupted in cheers. We could tell that this was a magical place.
Our first stop was to drop our luggage at our accommodations. We rented a room at LAURI, a log estate that has historically been a handicraft workshop for almost 100 years. It was perfect! Not only did it have the log-cabin ambience with fur blankets, rustic décor, and lantern lights, it also had a full kitchen, some great information for our stay, and was right beside the property’s shop full of awesome items.
We were hungry for lunch and went down the street to an authentic Finnish restaurant that the hotel recommended. Sadly, they were full and couldn’t serve us. So we walked to the big Arktikum Museum and found a buffet of seasonal foods in their café. We filled up with delicious salads, fish, and amazing rye bread called limppu.
The museum itself was a lovely surprise and had some very interesting exhibits about the Arctic; everything from the culture of its peoples, the wildlife that calls the Arctic home, the industries that operate here, and the very visible effects of climate change. The kids had fun interacting with exhibits and laying on their backs to watch a video about the northern lights. I learned about Finland’s efforts during World War II which is something to which I’ve never been introduced. Sadly, the effects of our early morning took over and we had to bail before finishing the whole museum. We grabbed some groceries for dinner and fell asleep before 8:30pm.
We all had an amazing sleep. The dark night, the cool and fresh air, and the fuzzy bedding were exactly what we needed. We got up about 12 hours later and the sun was still asleep. Since we had to check-out of our room before visiting Santa, we ate some breakfast and then spent the rest of the morning at a play park that was themed after the popular video game, Angry Birds. By noon, the sun was only still peeking above the horizon causing everything to be bathed in the soft, orange light of sunrise. It was beautiful.
We dropped our bags at the train station in a secure locker and then caught the Santa Shuttle Bus to Santa’s Village which is a few kilometers from town. We decided to explore outdoors first since the sun was still up and wouldn’t be for much longer. We jumped over the Arctic Circle a few times and then made our way to the Elves’ petting zoo where we got to feed some moss to the reindeer. Did you know that they have very soft and fuzzy noses? It’s the best! The little zoo also had goats that loved to be brushed, bunnies hopping about, and a few llamas that kept their distance. We kept warm by sitting around some fires and sticking close to each other. We didn’t have the right amount of warm clothing and felt a bit like bad Canadians.
Although there are other activities to do at the village, we had to choose only one and decided that petting reindeer was the highest priority. We made our way indoors and found the line to see Santa. Visiting Santa is free and he actually spend time chatting with you. His elves can speak lots of languages and were very friendly. Since we were visiting before the start of the high season, there were only a handful of folks in line ahead of us and we only waited about 40 mins to see Santa. He was so jolly! He wasn’t surprised to hear that we were Canadian but living in London. He teased us a bit by saying that the only snow we’d see this Christmas would be from our freezer. When he heard that we were taking the overnight train that evening, he asked who would sleep on the top bunks and then recalled how he always wished he could try the top bunk but couldn’t because his feet are too big. Sure enough, his boots were the size of large, black rocks and the kids chuckled at the image of him trying to fit on the top bunk of a train. We had our photo taken and said our goodbyes. Throughout the building, we also found some peek holes in which you can see the other elves busy working on wrapping and tagging and sorting toys. There was also a display that demonstrated how Santa bends time in order to be able to make his deliveries. The gift shop was full of lovely Christmas decorations so we picked a few for our own Christmas tree as souvenirs of our trip. It was such a warm, magical, and loving experience.
The final visit we made was to Santa’s mailroom where we bought some postcards for family and mailed them with Lapland stamps. With some luck, these postcards would make the long trip to Canada in time for Christmas. Also in the mailroom, we got to see stacks of letters that had arrived for Santa from various countries. We found the Canada box and saw that the elves spell it Kanada. Sadly, it was time to head back into Rovaniemi to find some dinner and catch our train.
We went back to the authentic spot that had been full the day before and really enjoyed our food. I tried a taster plate that had reindeer sausages, berry compote, roe, smoked salmon, salted fish, pickled vegetables, and more of that amazing bread. With full bellies, we walked to the train station and waited for our overnight train to arrive. Just for added excitement, both Molly and Simon lost loose teeth at the station. They were both very excited to see if the tooth fairy would service kids on trains. I told them not to get their hopes up. (Note: yes, the Tooth Fairy does take care of kids sleeping on trains)
We booked two rooms on the train, each with two single beds. Simon’s fare was free if he shared a bed so he and I bunked together for the ride. Our rooms had an adjoining door so we were able to be together. This was our first overnight train and the kids were a bit nervous about feeling queasy. I was certain that they would be easily lulled to sleep by the gentle movements. I was right! The night went by quickly. We ate some breakfast in the small train café and then arrived at the Helsinki station at 9:15am.
It was a Sunday so the downtown was very quiet. The sun was up (or it was out – it doesn’t go up, per se) but the air was still cool. We dropped off our bags at our hotel and wandered towards the waterfront. We found a market, had some snacks, and decided to try the public sauna that was on the waterfront. It was very fun. We got silicon bracelets that would get us in and out of all the areas and would also act as keys for our lockers. Everyone went into the first steam sauna together. The kids quickly left. They tried again and realized that sitting on the floor was bearable. Once all hot and sweaty, we walked outside to a pool and jumped in. Brrr. We swam a bit and then went back for another sauna. We did this cycle a few times before the kids were bored. Erik was the bravest and jumped into the Bearing Sea (7 degrees C) for one of his cold dips. We were not the only tourists but we were definitely outnumbered by locals enjoying the hot and cold therapy. Many had special gear like felt hats and slippers to help with the outdoor transitions. Next time, we’ll also bring some gear.
Our afternoon was spent seeing a few spots, relaxing at the hotel, and planning our evening. We found a Mexican restaurant (our family’s new comfort food) and then walked around the shopping district and marvelled at the Christmas decorations. It was busier than we anticipated for a Sunday but we were pleased to get a taste of the city’s vibe.
Monday was our travel home day. The train from downtown to the airport was very quick, smooth and reasonably priced. Our flight home was also very smooth and we were glad to be back and filled with new Christmas spirit, clean lungs, and awesome water. Seriously, all of us still talk about how great the water is in Finland. Go try it for yourself!
PS. Check out our video about this trip here.