7 - Lapland Experience
ESN TRAVEL
During my stay in Finland I went one week in Lapland with ESN. Erasmus Student Network or ESN is a European-wide student organisation whose aim is the reception and integration of international students during an Erasmus-type exchange as well as the promotion of international mobility. ESN organise several travels during the year in Lapland, Russia, Norway... You can to all of them.
ABOUT LAPLAND
Lapland is a region straddling the territories of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, whose indigenous people are the Sami. It is located largely beyond the Arctic Circle.
The climate there, as you might expect, is very cold in winter, if you go there, so make sure you are well equipped beforehand. The temperature in Lapland can vary from -40 °C in winter to +27 °C in summer. The local vegetation consists mainly of taiga and tundra. The region is bordered by the North Atlantic and the icy Arctic Ocean and "intersected" by the Baltic Sea.
Some popular legends refer to Lapland as the home of Santa Claus. There is even a village near Rovaniemi in Finland where Santa Claus is said to live.
SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE
First stop with the bus was in the Santa Claus Village.This village was simply magical! Santa Claus Village is located 8 km north of Rovaniemi. You can meet the REAL Santa Claus in his office and take a picture with him as I did myself. If you come with your children they can put their Christmas gift list in Santa's letter box.
I didn't do it but I know it's possible to do a reindeer drawn sleigh ride. Santa's Village has many souvenir shops, toboggan runs, an ice house, as well as cafes and restaurants.
You can also cross the magical Arctic Circle - it's a pretty cool picture to take. Actually its latitude is 66°32'37 or about 1'10" south of the Arctic Circle (about 2 km).
SNOWMOBILE
I did snowmobile in Lapland. The experience and the different landscapes that I saw was just wonderful and beautiful.
During the walk I went to the cairn of the three kingdoms. It is a monument materializing a tripoint, the intersection of the borders between Finland, Norway and Sweden.
If the guide hadn't told me, I would never have guessed it.
HUSKI SAFARI
I did also husky safari, it was really interesting because for half of the ride I was a passenger, so I was sitting comfortably and the other half of the ride I was holding the sled and leading the dogs. I didn't know how to drive a sled at all, but the people who managed the place explained everything to us very well. I now know how to drive a sled dog.
Then after the ride I was able to go and pet the dogs and they showed me the different dogs that were used. I didn't know but according to the breeds of dogs, they have a different role in the pack: there are those who are there to teach others, those who are there to run...
ARTICLE SKILLS
In Lapland I wanted to know the culture there and se the way they are living there. Or the way to survey in this cold so I took this option where I learned how to make a fire, how to fish, how to build a snow house. It was things that I'm not use to do obviously but it was really interested to discover this.
NORWAY TROMSØ
I spent one day in Tromsø because it was really close to our cottage. I first went to see the Arctic Cathedral of Tromsø which is an emblematic monument of the city, it owes its name to the fact that it is located above the Arctic Circle. Then I went to take the Fjellheisen to have a better view of the city. The Fjellheisen is an aerial tramway located in the city of Tromsø, Norway. The top station is located in Storsteinen, a mountain about 420 m above sea level.
About Tromsø... It's a modern city in the Arctic, it's the place where nature and culture are in perfect harmony. Today, the Tromsø region has been certified as a Sustainable Tourism Destination, a label awarded to regions that take care to reduce the environmental impact of tourism. Tromsø is located 350 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle and is the largest urban centre in Northern Norway. In general, Tromsø has a rather mild climate for a destination in the far north, due to its location by the sea and the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.
The city is also known for its lively nightlife and many restaurants specialising in fresh northern produce. In addition, the municipality's highly multicultural community includes more than 100 nationalities, all of which contribute to the diversity of the local cuisine and Tromsø's restaurants serving regional dishes. Traces of human activity in the Tromsø area go back thousands of years, although the town itself was founded only about 200 years ago. Tromsø quickly became the centre of trapping in the Arctic region and in the 1900s it was also the starting point for expeditions to the North Pole. Hence its nickname "Gateway to the Arctic".
SWIMMING IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN
Arctic ocean swimming has long been practiced in Norway but in recent years the trend has become increasingly popular with more people than ever taking a dip into the icy Atlantic Ocean. Ocean swimming differs significantly from your normal type of winter bathing as the ocean swimmers will spend several minutes in the water, covering a distance of up to 1 kilometer or up to 45 minutes in the water depending on the temperature.
I wanted to try this experience so I did it but not for 45 minutes more for 10 seconds after a sauna. It was hard but it was a good experience to understand the culture from there.
During my stay in Finland I went one week in Lapland with ESN. Erasmus Student Network or ESN is a European-wide student organisation whose aim is the reception and integration of international students during an Erasmus-type exchange as well as the promotion of international mobility. ESN organise several travels during the year in Lapland, Russia, Norway... You can to all of them.ABOUT LAPLAND
Lapland is a region straddling the territories of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, whose indigenous people are the Sami. It is located largely beyond the Arctic Circle.
The climate there, as you might expect, is very cold in winter, if you go there, so make sure you are well equipped beforehand. The temperature in Lapland can vary from -40 °C in winter to +27 °C in summer. The local vegetation consists mainly of taiga and tundra. The region is bordered by the North Atlantic and the icy Arctic Ocean and "intersected" by the Baltic Sea.
Some popular legends refer to Lapland as the home of Santa Claus. There is even a village near Rovaniemi in Finland where Santa Claus is said to live.
SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE
I didn't do it but I know it's possible to do a reindeer drawn sleigh ride. Santa's Village has many souvenir shops, toboggan runs, an ice house, as well as cafes and restaurants.
You can also cross the magical Arctic Circle - it's a pretty cool picture to take. Actually its latitude is 66°32'37 or about 1'10" south of the Arctic Circle (about 2 km).
SNOWMOBILE
I did snowmobile in Lapland. The experience and the different landscapes that I saw was just wonderful and beautiful.
During the walk I went to the cairn of the three kingdoms. It is a monument materializing a tripoint, the intersection of the borders between Finland, Norway and Sweden.
If the guide hadn't told me, I would never have guessed it.
HUSKI SAFARI
I did also husky safari, it was really interesting because for half of the ride I was a passenger, so I was sitting comfortably and the other half of the ride I was holding the sled and leading the dogs. I didn't know how to drive a sled at all, but the people who managed the place explained everything to us very well. I now know how to drive a sled dog.
Then after the ride I was able to go and pet the dogs and they showed me the different dogs that were used. I didn't know but according to the breeds of dogs, they have a different role in the pack: there are those who are there to teach others, those who are there to run...
ARTICLE SKILLS
In Lapland I wanted to know the culture there and se the way they are living there. Or the way to survey in this cold so I took this option where I learned how to make a fire, how to fish, how to build a snow house. It was things that I'm not use to do obviously but it was really interested to discover this.
NORWAY TROMSØ
I spent one day in Tromsø because it was really close to our cottage. I first went to see the Arctic Cathedral of Tromsø which is an emblematic monument of the city, it owes its name to the fact that it is located above the Arctic Circle. Then I went to take the Fjellheisen to have a better view of the city. The Fjellheisen is an aerial tramway located in the city of Tromsø, Norway. The top station is located in Storsteinen, a mountain about 420 m above sea level.
About Tromsø... It's a modern city in the Arctic, it's the place where nature and culture are in perfect harmony. Today, the Tromsø region has been certified as a Sustainable Tourism Destination, a label awarded to regions that take care to reduce the environmental impact of tourism. Tromsø is located 350 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle and is the largest urban centre in Northern Norway. In general, Tromsø has a rather mild climate for a destination in the far north, due to its location by the sea and the warming effect of the Gulf Stream.
The city is also known for its lively nightlife and many restaurants specialising in fresh northern produce. In addition, the municipality's highly multicultural community includes more than 100 nationalities, all of which contribute to the diversity of the local cuisine and Tromsø's restaurants serving regional dishes. Traces of human activity in the Tromsø area go back thousands of years, although the town itself was founded only about 200 years ago. Tromsø quickly became the centre of trapping in the Arctic region and in the 1900s it was also the starting point for expeditions to the North Pole. Hence its nickname "Gateway to the Arctic".
SWIMMING IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN
Arctic ocean swimming has long been practiced in Norway but in recent years the trend has become increasingly popular with more people than ever taking a dip into the icy Atlantic Ocean. Ocean swimming differs significantly from your normal type of winter bathing as the ocean swimmers will spend several minutes in the water, covering a distance of up to 1 kilometer or up to 45 minutes in the water depending on the temperature.
I wanted to try this experience so I did it but not for 45 minutes more for 10 seconds after a sauna. It was hard but it was a good experience to understand the culture from there.
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