Well, the last day of the trip is finally upon us, it’s come around so quickly and we can’t quite believe how much we’ve managed to fit in! We were out of the cabin at around 9am this morning after Barry had been for his final run of the holiday, and ambled over the the main building for breakfast. It was already proving to be another warm day in the arctic.
Breakfast was very varied and they had a few new items to choose from, like waffles and “Finnish squeaky cheese”. They also had lingonberry juice which was similar in taste to cranberry juice. It wasn’t our favourite breakfast of the holiday as some of the breads and baked goods were quite dry, but it filled us up nicely in preparation for a day of hiking! We also grabbed a few extra nibbles to take with us.
First on the agenda though, was the absolutely essential visit to the real Father Christmas! We were a little apprehensive about this, being two grown, childless adults but let’s be real, if you know us, you wouldn’t be surprised that we loved every second.
Father Christmas was an exceedingly welcoming soul, initially saying hello in Finnish but quickly switching to English. He asked us where we were from in England and we said Norwich.
Father Christmas then said “Ah, Norwich. How are you coping without Teemu Pukki?”
(For those not into football, Pukki is a Finnish footballer who has played exceptionally for Norwich for about the last 5 years and has just left the team to play in America)
Now, when he said this, Barry’s eyes actually sparkled with joy, as he had been hoping to have this conversation with someone ever since he got to Finland and it just so happened that it was Father Christmas. He. Was. Ecstatic. We chatted away about it for a few minutes and then sat down to have our picture taken with him. It was at this point I took Henning out from behind my back to ask if he could be in the picture. Mr Christmas didn’t bat an eyelid and gestured for us to sit Henning on the arm of his chair. Henning couldn’t believe his luck.
After many well wishes and encouragement to revisit in the winter, we strode out of there with a skip in our step and merrily paid the eye-watering sum of €35 for our photo, which will be framed and placed centre stage in our home!
It was time to get on the round and drive for about 15min to our first hiking stop: Vaattunkiköngäs.
There was a very good map with all the available trails. We chose a simple one and decided to go part of the way and then back around a different route, so as to not make the hike too long. It was absolutely beautiful walking over the first bridge over the river and then into the forest beyond. The routes were well signposted and we made our way around it quite easily. Some parts were more hard going than others. Much of the route is duck-boarded, as in the spring the land is waterlogged. But at slightly higher points, the boarded trails give way to dirt paths with spongy earth and roots jutting out here and there. It definitely tired us out much more quickly!
First hike done, we headed back to the car, where I had some of the snacks we’d nabbed from the breakfast buffet. Barry then drove us a little further north to Vikaköngäs, the next hike location. This is the most northerly either us have ever been and likely will be for a long time! We strode over another beautiful scenic bridge and decided we would dip our toes in the river, and spent ten minutes or so cooling down and taking pictures, before setting off on the more gruelling of the two hikes. This one was a round route, but half uphill with a lot of exposed roots and rocks on the path that we had to really focus on not tripping over! It was a hot day, around 26 degrees Celsius, so a mildly sweaty climb also! It was all worth it, as when we finally made it to the halfway point, we found a lookout point and the views from the tower were incredibly beautiful. Finland really is marvellous.
It was all downhill from there (in a positive way!) and when we made it back to the car we were absolutely exhausted but high on life (and the globe). We have both said since that we feel very lucky to be experiencing this together.
At this point we had been hiking for four hours and we’re glad to get back to the cabin for a cool shower. Barry fired up the sauna and had another session while I chilled out and did some reading while resting my aching bones.
By now it was about dinner time and we opted for a little Chinese restaurant that was very quiet and we were both surprised at how yummy the food was.
On our way to the restaurant Barry told me he didn’t have a key card for the cabin and wasn’t even sure where he had last seen it, but reception kindly gave us a spare key and we eventually found the originals back at the cabin. Crisis averted!
We popped to the petrol station aver the road after that to fill the car back up (not that it needed much!) and to get some Finnish snacks to take home with us and try.
After a nice video chat catch-up with my parents and the dogs, we packed up our rucksacks ready to go in the morning. Our alarms are set for 2:45am in order to catch a 5:30 flight back to Helsinki and then onto London!
We’ve had a cracking time and hope you’ve enjoyed coming along with us. The next confirmed holiday is Iceland in February 2024, which will complete the Nordic country set for us, which is really exciting! Fingers crossed for some Northern Lights!
ELLIE’S DESTINATION RANKINGS AND SUMMARIES:
Stockholm - so much to see and do, interesting architecture, lots of islands to explore, would genuinely live there.
Rovaniemi/Lapland - Christmas tat aside, the surrounding countryside is breathtaking and a once in a lifetime destination. I'm always a sucker for the countryside! Cabin is great and good value in the summer. Just remember big spray!
Gothenburg - Again, so much to see. Beautiful old town with interesting shops. Absolutely loved Liseberg. Free zoo with moose! 🫎
Helsinki - very different style/vibe and really cool to swim in the open air pool. Lovely people, Linnanmäki was lots of fun.
🍳 BARRY’S EGG-OMETER 🍳
Gothenburg
Stockholm
Rovaniemi
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