I typically start these blog entries in the actual country we visited, but I just have to start with a quick shoutout to the Munich Airport. Trixie and I were heading to Finnish Lapland with a winter storm brewing. With a predicted 12 inches of snow and a connection in Munich, we called ahead to see if we could switch flights, but there was only one flight out to Ivalo. When we arrived, we went to our gate in the Munich airport, but we saw the blanket of white outside and assumed we were going to get stuck there. Much to our surprise, we boarded the plane, and a defrosting machine was brought out and affixed to the plane. Twenty minutes later we were in the air. I’ve waited longer taxiing on the tarmac at Newark. We were really impressed.

Day 1

It was late by the time we landed in Ivalo, the small northernmost airport in Finland. After asking if credit card would be accepted, we grabbed a taxi outside and made our way to Kakslauttenen Resort, one of the most famous igloo hotels in the world. When we arrived, the taxi driver’s credit card machine malfunctioned and we spent a tense 10 minutes trying to offer her US dollars while she acted as though we were trying to scam her. It’s your machine, lady! 

After finally realizing we were not going to magically produce a different currency, she accepted our money, and we went to check in. Though famous for the igloos, Kakslautenen offers different types of rooms. We opted to stay one night in the lodge and the next two nights in the famous glass igloos. The resort is so large that there is an East and West side with a shuttle between them. 

We were hungry after our long day, so we ate in the restaurant adjacent to the check-in area. The high ceilings and wooden beams give it a winter chalet feel. After eating, one of the hotel staff grabbed a flashlight, a sled for our luggage, and began to lead the way to our lodge. It was actually decently far, but I enjoyed the walk. The lodges are organized like a little village and everything was completely covered in snow. There were “street” lamps to light the way as we walked, and no sound apart from the crunch of our shoes. Some people might find it creepy, but I found it peaceful. We finally made it to our cabin, bid our guide goodbye, and took a quick look around. The floors in the bathroom were heated, there was a sauna attached, and the whole thing had an authentically rustic sort of feel. We took a few videos for friends and family, tested out the sauna, and took blissfully warm showers. We peeked out the windows, enjoying the contrast of the warm glow inside to the so-white-it’s-blue snow outside. While I was glad we decided to do both a lodge and a glass igloo on the trip, I also wanted to maximize our chances of seeing the Northern Lights, so I harassed Trixie into coming on a walk with me (“I’m in my PJs!”). To be fair, dressing in Finland in January is a bit of an ordeal. We put our 3 layers on and picked a direction to follow. 

After a few minutes of tromping along in the dark, Trixie started asking about wildlife. I made assurances with no actual data to back me up (“of course they don’t have wolves!”), and we continued. As we arrived at some sort of storage shed along the outskirts of the village, we saw what looked like some cloud movement very, very faintly in the far corner of the sky. Trixie was finally distracted from the possible deadly albino sabertooth that was sure to kill us, and got on board with my excitement (no, I think it is!! It is, it is!). Very nearly jumping up and down with our achievement as the almost nonexistent puff faded away, fate chose that moment to offer up a series of howls in the dead silence of the night. Playing it cool, we discussed the probability that the howls were the huskies housed nearby (spoiler: they were). But in any case, we started quickly making our way back. When the second round of howls started, we gave up and started running. In Finland in January, in 4-6 layers of clothes, running looks a lot like an oompa loopa losing its balance, but we will speak no more of it. We went to Finland and survived vicious wolf attacks and that’s the end of it.

Day 2:

The next day, we got sleds for our luggage and Trixie had a great time using momentum to ride them down the small hills on the way to the glass igloos. When we got there, the first thing we noticed was how tiny they are. They have a little hobbit door and not a lot of storage room. The glass dome on top was completely worth it, though, and at 5 feet 2 inches, the door just added to the charm. Our bedding was decorated in zebra stripe to give some personality to the landscape. The beds are heated and recline up for the best viewing position. The rooms all have an “Aurora Alert” alarm in case the aurora is spotted in the middle of the night (you can turn it off, but I doubt many people do). 

Kakslauttenen is a famous resort for a reason—they organize all sorts of activities in between your wait for the Northern Lights. We packed our schedule so that we wouldn’t be disappointed even if we didn’t get a show (even though we clearly saw a hint of them that first night when we also survived the wolves). First up was a ride in a Snow Tank. Trixie and I and one of the resort employees were the only ones to sign up, so our snow tank driver gave us a bunch of options of where to go. We elected to ride up a mountain to see sunset at the top. I wasn’t sure how thrilling the ride would be at first, but it ended up being incredibly beautiful. The snow tank can take you through large amounts of deep snow and wooded areas that would otherwise be largely inaccessible. We also learned from the employee that we had missed Chris Lowell and Margot Robbie by two weeks and Shakira by one week. So close.

When we got out of the snow tank at our summit and enjoyed the views, we ended up talking to the driver a bit, particularly about how it was possible that we were shivering in our 5-layer ensemble and he was in a long sleeve shirt with no gloves. We snuggled into our scarves, trying to minimize the skin-to-air surface area, vibrating with the needed friction to keep our bodies alive while he explained what a particularly warm winter it was. Sure, Dracula. 

Post-sunset, on the way back down, the snow tank illuminated the dark forests with large lights, giving it an even more eerie look. It was a random activity, but one I’m really glad we did. 

When we arrived back at the resort, we ate in the dining hall closest to the ice igloo village. This hall is much larger than the place we ate the first night we were there and the breakfasts are killer. 

Our evening activity was snowmobiling. We had wonderful guides who led the way and stopped us for any potentially hazardous roads to cross. This was one of my favorite activities of the trip. We even stopped halfway through to sit by the fire in a teepee and drink hot berry juice. At one point, Trixie took a selfie of herself with me taking a photo in the background. In my photo, you can see her photo of me in her hand—we didn’t even notice until later.

After our day of activities, we went to the communal shower (there’s also a sauna here if you’re interested), which initially sounded terrible but was actually fine in the end. It’s right beside the igloos and the showers are strong. There is also something in the Finnish air or in the food that cleared up our skin and made our hair look amazing. I wish I could have bottled it. 
We finally fell asleep after playing with the recline feature on the bed for an aurora watch. Other areas in Lapland were getting great aurora views, but there was too much cloud cover for us to see. I wasn’t bitter.

Day 3:

We had the morning free, so after another stellar breakfast, we decided to wait by the bus stop for a trip into the nearby town of Saariselka. I had also wanted to do something off the resort while we were there. We arrived at the bus stop just in time to catch the incredible pink and lavender sunrise with the lonely bus stop sign as a backdrop. The view felt like something out of a painting or a book, not something that I was actually experiencing. I finally understood why the locals are more excited about the months of additional sun than about the Northern Lights. 

The bus’ expected time of arrival came and went as 2 more people came to stand at the stop. There was a bit of flirtation going on between the new arrivals who had also just met, so we didn’t bother them too much. When a random car stopped to tell us the bus was several hours away (guess it’s the one bus for a very large area), we all ended up splitting the taxi fare to Saariselka. The guy offered to pay for the girl but she declined. Through some manufactured excuse, he did end up getting her number though. Brown chicken brown cow. 

The driver dropped us off at the one grocery store in town with a promise to pick me and Trixie up in a few hours. Saariselka is a small, walkable town, but it’s very charming. Also a cheaper place to pick up souvenirs than at Kakslauttenen. We went in a few stores and it was mainly just fun to browse. We went to the one spa in town but all the appointments were booked. It’s still a beautiful area though, and we ended up eating a late lunch overlooking the heated pool attached to the spa. We wandered around outside a bit more, saw Santa’s Office, and did some more shopping. Our driver picked us up right on time, and we made it back to the resort in time for our next excursion, dogsledding. 

Initially, we didn’t plan to go dogsledding because, to us (and to my very empathetic love handles), that sort of manual labor felt cruel to the dogs. I don’t even really like to go to zoos because it just makes me sad. However, after looking into it and talking to the employee the day before, we realized that the dogs absolutely love the exercise and the entire process. The caretaker for the dogs was clearly in love with them and explained all about how they were raised and the sanctuary they kept for the dogs now too old to race. The dogs themselves were so excited to see us and enjoyed being petted. You could feel their anticipation for the run. Trixie and I shared a sled and switched off driving positions halfway through. The dogs are also incredibly intelligent and intuitive. Whenever there was a turn we took too sharply, one of the dogs at the end would look back to check on us. Excuse me while I cry forever over that. 

The tightly packed snowy trees lining the sledding paths as well as the clear sky full of stars made for a postcard-perfect sort of night. No Northern Lights, but I was okay with that. Some people go every year and never see them.

When we got back, we stopped by the front desk to set up our airport transfer for the next day. We politely waited for the couple in front of us to finish their discussion with the attendant but couldn’t help but overhear. The woman was repeatedly asking when the Northern Lights would be out tonight since they had to leave tomorrow. The attendant politely (re) explained that while there are apps and websites that predict the likelihood of seeing the lights, there is no certainty. The woman again explained that they would not be staying another night, as though this explanation would lead to the attendant reaching into the sky to part the heavens and drag the geostorm right to her. Sadly, while Kakslauttanen provides almost anything and everything you can think of, an act of God isn’t in the cards. Anytime I feel bad about myself, I remember that moment and remind myself that at least we aren’t those people. 

Completely satisfied with our trip, we spent the next hour or two gazing at the stars and playing “Would You Rather,” veering off onto all sorts of absurd conversations when an answer interested us. Just as my eyes were starting to grow heavy, I noticed a small movement begin in the center of the sky that began to drag itself in a straight line. At first faint, but now clearly moving, I realized we were finally clearly seeing the Northern Lights head on. I simply yelled “Northern Lights!” at Trixie and we instantly became tween girls at a Justin Bieber concert, screaming and smacking each other. Stumbling out of the igloo with feet half crammed in shoes, we swirled around in disbelief as the show got stronger and started popping out all across the sky. We were the first ones outside, and it felt surreal. Within a few minutes, a Japanese family two igloos down from us shot outside and went running between the igloo rows screaming, “Suzuki-San, Suzuki-saaaaaan!” With a full 5 minutes of celebration under our belts, we were now veteran viewers of the Northern Lights and threw some “Jeez, calm down” shade his way. The show was in full force now, and the aurora alarm was sounding around us from the open igloo doors. There were tripods out, cameras, and drones. The excitement was palpable. I swear there must be some leprauchan blood somewhere in my Irish heritage for me to keep getting so lucky. 

It was was one of the most perfect last nights in any area from any trip. 

Day 4:

The next morning, we left early for Helsinki, but northern Finland was going to be difficult to beat. 

When we arrived, we traipsed through the sludge and  ordered an Uber who ended up explaining the free higher education system in Finland. I’m probably oversimplifying, but it was interesting hearing firsthand about the famous Nordic education systems. We dropped our luggage in an incredibly adorable Airbnb (link), and went out to explore. It was so snowy/rainy and cold, that all of the precipitation outside continually added to the ice below our feet. The residents of Helsinki appeared unaffected. Whenever they slid on the ice, they bizarrely didn’t flail—they literally skated through it. We had some super attractive Bambi-legs going on when we hit bad patches of ice, and Trixie commented on us needing to buy shoes with more traction. A girl then skated by with ease. On keds. 

We caught a ferry to take us to Suomenlinna Fort, a UNESCO world heritage site. The ferry itself had some incredible views of the city, but the fort was next-level gorgeous. In such a cold climate, there was still greenery everywhere paired with old desolate stone walls. It was much bigger inside, a small city built like a maze. There were some quaint, cute coffee shops and lunch places, but almost everything was closed. Being avid viewers of Vikings, we walked all the way to the end of the island to go to a restaurant called Valhalla that seems like it has a cool medieval vibe. Sadly, it was unwelcoming and padlocked when we arrived—closed for the season. The pathway there was enjoyable in itself though. The walkway is built along the water with views of the fort on the inside. After narrowly missing a few patches of black ice and with a long drop to what I assume was frigid water on the other side, Trixie held on to the inner rope with an iron grip, not even letting go when it dipped to one foot off the ground.

We stopped at the cannons for a bit, just taking in both the history and the beauty of the area. We also finally located a restaurant that was open—not a ton of options on the menu, but we were hungry and didn’t want to look anymore. 

We then caught the ferry back to downtown Helsinki and walked along the markets and admired the decorative lights adorning the streets. The entire area is very reminiscent of Christmas and wasn’t exactly what I had initially pictured. On the way back to our Airbnb, we stopped at an upscale restaurant that shared a space with a pastry shop, ate our fill of cappuccinos and chocolate, and made reservations for a fancy dinner. The light flurries turned to full-blown snow by the time we made it back. The Airbnb had a massive, modern projector on the wall, so we decided to give it a try while we were killing time for dinner. We ended up watching the show “You,” and because the show was so addicting, the Airbnb was so warm and cute, and the weather had gotten worse, we cancelled our reservation, ran across the street for take-out pizza, and came back to binge the show. Heavy snow fell past the large windows in the apartment and we had a clear view of the cars and streets outside that, apart from their shadows, just looked like a sea of white. 

It was like like a living Christmas card, and I left the next morning completely content and refreshed.