Enchanted with snow: Lapland's self driving trip
Days: 13 days
Time: January
Per capita: 32000 yuan
With whom: with friends
Play: photography, humanities, self driving
The author went to these places
Helsinki
Tromso
Lapland
Santa Claus Village
Abisco
Published on December 1, 2015 10:36
In January 2015, four small partners, from Finland, Sweden to Norway, started a 13 day self driving trip. In this short 13 days, through Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Kiruna, abiscu, Tromso, hilkness, saliselka, Levi, the whole 1800km journey, relying on a Mercedes Benz C series to complete the whole journey. When we set out these destinations on the map with great ambition, we didn't expect that we would encounter heavy snow, the road was closed, we were forced to stay, the car got into the snow halfway, we pushed it for more than two hours in the storm, rushed into the desert ice lake, and met the northern lights when we went out
(because the previous travel notes are scattered, Muxi sums up the trip in this travel note, hoping to let you know more about our trip to Lapland, and also hope that more friends who like northern Europe can see some dream scenes in our trip: D)
Helsinki, Helsinki
On January 25, at 17:47 Finnish time, we arrived at wanta airport. After some sorting out, the dark night of Helsinki has already come. The deep and cool air, accompanied by the white smoke exhaled from our mouth, seems to remind us that we have come to the arms of northern Europe, which is not warm.
Rush to a friend's home, waiting for the city's tomorrow, waiting for the 24 hours with our participation. The paper-cut with the word "Fu" pasted on the glass wall and the old godmother on the table reveal the nationality of the host.
With a few green olives and a cup of cold water, we took in the first nutrition from Finland.
Although a jet lag and untimely spirit, but can only obediently go to the market to prepare tonight's food. I always thought that the market of Hakaniemi was in winter, but I didn't expect that it would be so lively.
Here we met a fish merchant with a sense of shyness, a fruit lady who likes to talk to us freely, and a little girl who rides on dad's neck.
I didn't sleep until two or three o'clock in the morning, but I got up before dawn. Looking out of the window, the courtyard in front of the door was covered with white snow.
Breakfast is still in the Hakaniemi market search solution (who calls it so close), casually walked to a kahvila restaurant ordered a sandwich.
The owner of the shop is Luis, a handsome Spanish guy who settled here with his Finnish girlfriend. During the conversation, the friendly Luis also brought us traditional Finnish rice cakes.
Then we went to the Eira seaside, where the wind was very strong, and only one or two pedestrians strolled leisurely through the open streets.
The whole world is like the same origin of pale, near the land of the sea also formed a layer of thin ice, red buoy patiently waiting for the thaw of freedom.
After a random walk around the neighborhood, we were surprised to meet a small piece of green grass in the dog park tervaasaari, so we happily came to this small place and stayed for a while.
This lifebuoy standing by the sea can be seen everywhere in this coastal city, which can be regarded as a scenery of its own.
We had lunch at the restaurant of a chef school called perho raventola downtown. All the 80 year old restaurants are very simple and ordinary in appearance and interior. Compared with restaurants, they are more like canteens built by borrowing houses. But the salads and bread here are great. I think they are even better than the staple food. Restaurant website: http://www.ravintolaperho.fi
After lunch, we went to the famous Finnish female photographer's hietaniemi beach. The isolated high chair by the sea became the focus of our camera.
Secretly climbed to the high chair, up and down vision are white, only a small group of dark trees in the middle of the earth plays the dividing line.
Of course, when you come to Helsinki, you have to go to our favorite reparta cafe, which is more than ten square meters, but it's the sweetheart of all Helsinki people.
Regatta in winter is much cleaner than that in summer, and the outdoor coffee tables and chairs have been removed, but the clean courtyard, open doors and lights remind us that it has not closed down.
In the afternoon, when we returned to the city, we met a lively hockey field on the way. The wind and frost on our face would be melted by the enthusiasm and vitality of the sports field.
Two young hockey players who have disappeared.
Weather does not restrain childlike innocence, even two or three-year-old children are eager to support in the sleigh.
We rushed to PRISMA supermarket to prepare our dinner materials. The variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and meat products in the supermarket greatly enriched our imagination of dinner.
After eating and buying a meal from the supermarket, we walked back to our lodging place tonight with big bags and small bags. However, the MARIMEKKO shop we met on the way made us indulge in the classic poppy patterns and delicate cups and plates.
This is where we live today - a B & B in the city. People can't help but like it because of its simple and clean plain color.
Light the candles, put on the salad, sausage, smoked meat slices, and our candlelight dinner begins.
porvoo
Located 50 kilometers to the east of Helsinki, polvo is an old medieval city with a long history. It used to be an important import trade center of Finland. Rows of red warehouses along the polvo River witnessed the glorious shipping history for a long time.
Before walking into the city, I saw an ice fisherman on the frozen polvo River in the distance. We couldn't help stepping forward and chatting with him.
In the winter, the boisterous crowd in the summer is less, and the original quietness and coldness are restored. Winter slows down time and makes things more beautiful.
Outside the window of the wooden house, a lonely tree.
The cat walking gracefully on the snow, aren't you cold?
People in the old city have the temperament of the old city. They are not in a hurry. Even the posture of riding a bicycle across the sight seems so leisurely.
After staying in polvo for half a day, we drove back to Helsinki again, ready to take the night train going north to Rovaniemi, the first stop to Lapland.
Rovaniemi
One night on the night train, I didn't sleep very well. I had to open my eyes and look out the window every hour. And in this kind of impatient mood, the train finally arrived in the capital of Lapland at 7:30 in the morning.
In the morning, it was still dark. After waiting for the self driving car, we went to the first stop, reindeer farm.
Under the guidance of the guide, we took the reindeer sleigh and headed for the deep forest and snow! Lying on a sleigh with only a reindeer fur blanket, walking slowly through the Lapland snow at minus 2 degrees, this experience is really amazing.
This is the reindeer. I'm in charge of it. Every time I turn, I run to my right and touch my head with its antlers.
The snow is getting bigger and bigger. In the next hour and a half, in addition to the frozen and beautiful Lapland, the memory is just the big buttocks of reindeer.
After leaving the reindeer farm, we headed for Santa Claus Village. When we saw the wooden roof of Santa Claus's office, we felt the warmth of fairy tales.
After Christmas, Santa Claus Village is far less lively than before, but in the Christmas Post Office, there are still travelers and postcards with good wishes.
And we are also excited to put stamps on and send these postcards from Santa's hometown（ The one in the Yellow mailbox is for immediate delivery, while the one in the red mailbox next door is for the next Christmas.)
After noon, we were still interested in the reindeer sled experience in the morning, so we went to a husky farm for a faster and more exciting sled experience. This girl is manttu, an intern in husky park. She has a close relationship with the kids.
Hahaha, this erha climbs up the high guardrail and looks out. In a moment, he thinks of the pigs arched the guardrail in the Internet picture.
This is our husky sleigh guide, Mari. You can see the enjoyment on the face of this big husky to see their intimacy.
set out! The short distance of 2 kilometers is full of passion under the power of Husky's hard pull, and the silent snow forest leaves us another impression in an instant.
Kiruna
Kiruna in the north of Sweden is not the main destination of our trip, but just a transit place that we have to go through. But it is the place where we meet in a hurry that presents us an incredible world of snow.
If it had not been for these dead trees, the mountain would have been white.
A gray line appeared in the snow far away, where Kiruna was.
The high wooden church of the Sami tribe deep in the pine forest is very modern.
The black cabin is where the Sami store their food.
This lonely street lamp has shown us the way to Kiruna in the distance. A few kilometers ahead, the busiest city will arrive.
The wooden house is radiating heat, and the snow on the eaves of the gate is very tense.
The two RV buried in the snow in the urban area are a bit like the abandoned bus in the movie into the wild. I don't know if there is anyone living there now.
In the urban area, the dog and its owner are hiding in the snow. I didn't expect that this kind of weather has the leisure of walking the dog.
Abiscu
Abiscu is our main destination in Sweden. This town is known as the best place to observe the northern lights. Although we have seen all kinds of beautiful things about it from countless travel photos, abiscu in reality does not give us a gentle and graceful imagination about the aurora, but presents a depressing image of the snow plain in the daytime.
Abiscu can be roughly divided into two areas, one is called Abisko village, where local residents live, and the other is turistation. And we are going to the most famous Aurora Borealis sky station in turistation. But at this time, the sky station has been inundated by last night's Blizzard, almost no one came to patronize.
The cable car, which often carries passengers, also stops alone. We all climb up the mountain road by ourselves.
Guess what it is - the wooden toilet on the sky station, no one dares to experience the weather~
Before leaving abiscu, we came to the so-called northernmost railway station in Sweden, which is a section of the world's northernmost railway line "Kiruna Narvik". But now there has been no train and passengers for a long time, and the whole platform has fallen into endless silence.
In front of the cabin on the platform, the fence made of wood has been buried more than half of the height by snow. And our car can't move any further, so we have to turn around and head for the Norwegian valley.
Although it is no longer in the hometown of big Nokia, we still simulate the classic "connecting people".
Tromso
From the snowstorm in northern Sweden all the way to the valley on this side of Norway, we will never see the fierce snowstorm again. Without stopping there, I went straight to Tromso, Paris in the north, and finally arrived at the city by the water at night.
I didn't expect to give us a big surprise when we arrived in this city - we saw the northern lights in Tromso all the way! Looking at the flickering green light in the sky, I suddenly feel grateful for everything, even the blizzard I experienced before that is so lovely.
Before the sun completely darkened the sky, we found a suitable corner to wait for the awakening of the city on the seashore beside the tromserones airport.
The sun is rising, but the sky is fading. The clouds in the sky, the mountains in the distance and the wooden houses on the bank all seem to present the most textural colors.
I walked slowly to the shore, where the messy gravel and dry reeds formed a depressing scene, while the flowing water was completely unaffected by winter.
The Arctic church is the most important landmark of Tromso. Its unique architectural style and geographical location make it difficult for people to just pass by. This modern church is just as lovely and exquisite as the city.
At the foot of the towering snow mountain on the opposite bank of the Arctic church, the strong iron bones of the Tromso sea crossing bridge across the sky connect to the road and the Arctic church at our feet. Maybe it's not the biggest and most spectacular bridge, but in Tromso in the snow, it's the only hub.
Tromso, surrounded by fjords and mountains, does not seem to be a city, but a remote border town. But when you really walk in the city here, you will find that it is no worse than any city in northern Europe.
Looking back at Tromso on the dock and from the sea is another kind of impression. Leaning on the foot of the mountain, the urban area is quiet and elegant. The waterfront city shows the style of Jiangnan in a moment.
Hilkness
When we step on the northernmost promontory of Norway, we come to the most beautiful seaside town in Norway - hilkenes. Compared with the cold, this Arctic city gives us more impression of the vast ocean and the emperor crab under the ocean.
Every time there is an activity of catching king crab, the cage will always be put under the ice sea in advance, and the shelf supporting the cage will stand there in such a static way. Judging from the quality, it should have been put up this winter.
Our guide for catching king crab skillfully weighed the cage that had just been put down for less than half an hour, then he fished up a big bucket of king crab at once, and cut off the crab legs directly on the spot. Then we took these huge crab legs, steamed and roasted them on the fire for a while, and ate them. It's really sweet and refreshing, and you won't get tired of it.
One of the advantages of being a port city is that you can have a panoramic view of the sea as long as you are in the urban area. On the promontory of hilkenes, we stand at one end, and at the other end there is an endless ocean of ice.
Sally selka
Leaving the northernmost corner of Norway, we turned around again and returned to Finland. Different from the way we came here, we chose the glass house civilization of saliselka as our first stop.
The glass house is the most unique residential sign in Surrey mountain. Although we have seen other types of glass houses in rowanemi and Levi, the glass house in Surrey mountain is more impressive. These Crystal Fairy Tales in full bloom in ice and snow make us feel the wave and childlike innocence of Nordic people again.
And you will never think that these exquisitely carved glass houses were built by an old man himself. Judy, the owner of the glass house, and his dog have been sticking to this happy career of creating fairy tales for the 41st year.
Not far from the glass house, some wooden houses are also under construction. Maybe next winter, they can receive their first visitors.
Levi
After more than 1800 kilometers, we came to Levi, the last destination of our trip. In the ski resort of Levi, we climb the snow path and roar down, enjoying the endless fun of daring to try.
Levi's ski resort has 44 ski paths with different difficulties. For beginners, we can only gradually adapt on the slowest and simplest snow path next to the uphill elevator. Even so, 90 minutes of skiing course, we still use 70 minutes of wrestling in exchange for 20 minutes.
As we leave Levi and return to Helsinki, Levi's snowy landscape provides us with the last group of photographic materials. Looking at this quiet boundless wilderness, I found that I had been trapped by this winter temptation. Goodbye, Nordic. We'll see you next winter.
Postscript
If we don't like northern Europe, we won't go here. If we don't go to northern Europe, we won't drive on the road of Lapland. If we were not on the road, we would never have met so many stories. In fact, all this happened thanks to our loving heart. Travel, never a dream, it is so practical, and our reality, because we know how to recall. It has always been an integral part of our lives, no matter where we walk.
The copyright of all text and pictures in this article belongs to "Muxi Nordic tourism";
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