Today is for the kids and adults alike. A bunch of rides planned in the Santa Claus Village. We got up early and we kinda knew the routine by now. Scrubbed the car for a good 30 mins to get all the thin ice off the windshields and mirrors. Now that I am used to the driving a bit, I was able to enjoy the amazing scenery during the 30 min drive, from the arctic landscape to the beautiful hues donning the sky from blue to orange giving it a magical feel.
We started off the day with the rides organised by Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park. As the name implies the first was a snow mobile ride. All the gear was provided by the firm and the guide was very helpful in explaining everything clearly. I have never driven a scooter before so was not sure what to expect. Also I had to adjust my headgear quite a bit to ensure my glasses doesn't get fogged up (and wipe it clean when it does). The snowmobile driving was incredibly physical with arm strength required to constantly counter the skid. It was an amazing experience though, with my wife riding with me and the kids being towed by the guide on his snowmobile. We criss-crossed the area for a good hour and half, with a break in between. I did have an annoying warning alarm going off intermittently, possibly due to the brake being a bit stuck due to the conditions. However it didn't dampen my enthusiasm and I quickly figured out a work around for the alarm by moving off the throttle just a bit. I managed to go upto 40kmph which definitely felt like a lot more!
Next up was a 20 min ride to Reindeer Manor, where we had a Husky ride followed by a Reindeer ride. The Huskies were really cute and showed off their wild side. They seemed extremely impatient to get going and keep running! The children even got to pat the huskies who seemed to have gotten used to human affection and were docile during the encounter just like dogs. The Reindeer on the other hand couldn't care less and was just happy to walk along and get the ride done. We also got a feel of a Reindeer horn and learnt that they grow 2-3cm every day and sheds every year. It was extremely cold there about -20 degrees. However the Reindeer herders who were raised 500km north of Rovaniemi and have seen -52 degrees in their life, where the reindeers are also from, joked that it felt like summer to them! They also shared some other interesting facts like lynx and eagles preying on reindeer in addition to wolves and wolverine. There was also a tinge of sadness in his voice when he mentioned how the traditional bells worn in their belts while herding reindeers has become more of an ornament now. We had another overpriced and underwhelming tomato soup, glogi and hot chocolate at Reindeer Manor before heading back.
We gave Mr. Santa a miss today as well to catch a quick break back at the apartment before the night aurora hunting trip. I am not sure if it's the weather, but it puts everyone into a deep sleep the minute they hit the bed. Thankfully we woke up just in time to catch the trip organised by Book Lapland. One interesting tidbit is that there are many legends around what caused auroras in the past, but my favorite one was that it was the fire fox rolling in the mountains and lighting the sky on fire! We were taken in a bus and got to see auroras in two different spots. The first one was on a frozen lake with a clear view of the sky in all directions. They took some photos of us with the aurora. The 2nd stop was on the side of a road, when they realised the auroras were good there. The soft fresh snow at the side of the road made me sink in until waist deep! While the auroras were more visually impressive, I ran into trouble with my camera so couldn't get it to capture them in their glorious detail, which saddened me a bit. I was so disappointed that I threw caution to the wind and tried to operate it with my bare hands at -23 degrees. After a few mins of trial and error, I had frozen numb fingers, cold feet and had lost one of my inner gloves. Needless to say, it was way too cold for the kids to enjoy. But it was thrilling nevertheless and the pictures and the celestial dance that the eye captures never gets erased! The hot coffee and cookie provided to us by the roadside is a mini experience of heaven in itself. I remember continuously willing myself to last just one more minute out in the open to capture some more images in my memory. At the end of it, there is just one word to describe the auroras - Wow!
We came back shivering from the trip and I was extra careful on the drive back to the apartment as I couldn't feel my fingers or feet. Tonight's experience is something that will stay in our memories forever!
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