I took the overnight train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi in northern Finland. The sleeper train was so comfy, I think I had my first deep sleep in a while. Each compartment on these trains came with one of those plastic key cards with holes - college memories! I shared the compartment with a Finnish woman who spoke not a single word of English, so all was very quiet....but when we got off at Rovaniemi, she gave me a hug! How nice : )
It was about 2km to the city center, but I walked anyways. There weren't any cabs or buses waiting.
I was planning to stay at a hostel that's about 0.5km from a hotel in the city center where you're supposed to check in. But it was already around noon by the time I arrived at the hotel, and I wasn't in the mood to do more walking...so I ended up paying double the price of the hostel to stay at the hotel. Oh well. Breakfast was included, internet was free, it was right in front of the bus stop and stores, and the summer rates were at a discount (northern Finland is more of a winter destination).
I came to Rovaniemi to see Santa Claus. A few years ago, they set up an
official Santa Claus village a little bit north of the city on the Arctic Circle. It's where all the "Dear Santa" mails go! I took the bus there (6.50E roundtrip). But I never saw Santa...walking around the village itself is free, but seeing Santa and taking a photo with him costs 25.00E! I wasn't ready to fork over that much money for a little face time with him. Plus, I can't say that I've been a good girl, so he probably would've shunned me anyways. I did go into his workshop, though, and couldn't stop wondering why there were no elves around. Going to the village wasn't a complete waste...I had a really good time at the Santa post office, where you can see some of the "Dear Santa" letters from all over the world, and send stuff with special Santa posts. (Were they???)
Another place to check out is the Artikum Museum, with a hefty 12.00E admission fee
(Damn. I should've invested in a fake student card for Europe!). It's like a combination of a natural history, art, and science museums, depicting the arctic life. Oh, and there were some live fishes on display as well, so I guess you can call it an aquarium too. And a planetarium that reenacts the aurora (I want to see the real thing!). The arctic temperature room was cold...as soon as I opened the door, I felt the chill and promptly backed away. Hence, I can't tell you what's in there.I had a serious craving for some Asian food, and found a Thai restaurant in the shopping center that night. Never have Thai food in Finland. The green curry had more CABBAGES than anything!
Since Rovaniemi is very close to the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets 100% in the summer. This is midnight:
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