Enthralling Finnish experience

I am sure, we all must have heard about the Arctic circle in our geography classes. We are privileged to cross this recently and call ourselves Arcticians ??

It all started when Yahoo sensed my interests for a long time and curated a small window for me with the title "Lapland in Rovaniemi". This was enough to catch my attention and pull me in for a deep dive. The more I explored the more enchanting it turned out. This instigated the execution phase with no second thoughts.

Accolades to this quintessential website -> https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/ for having everything in one place and all that was needed for a novice like me to overcome all the unnerving factors. It made my life much more relaxed for sure. Now it was only left to accomplish destiny's call??

Finland has many tourist places. Drawing lines between the time & budget, we stuck to Kemi, Rovaniemi and Helsinki. All three have unique traits and stand out in the must visit list. Special mention on the trains we boarded on the circular route of Helsinki -> Kemi -> Rovaniemi -> Helsinki. The upper deck has a private washroom & the lower deck, a cabin sink. The views were breathtaking and the clean sound proof cabins ensure you get your sweet dreams and go easy on your wallet.

Kemi is a small quiet serene town more like a hamlet with very less population . This opened up avenues for a nice stroll and helped our pockets??. The Snow Castle was spectacular with ice & snow sculptures also included an Ice Hotel. The frozen beaches was something we never heard of. Well rest all were like cotton candies all across the place??

Rovaniemi on the other hand has plenty of tourists and vehicular movement. The best part is that all roads are well marked & easy to navigate. For us, it was the main attraction with plethora of fun & adventure activities. Adrenaline is what we could ask for. Hire a car and definitely your pockets would love it??. But you need to be confident of driving on snow & ice.

These are the must do in Rovaniemi:

1. Ranua Zoo - meet snowy owl, arctic fox, mighty moose & finally Polar Bear
2. Santa Village - get welcomed by cute huskies, renowned reindeer, arctic horse ready of offer you a ride; snow mobile, furry rabbits, friendly alpacas & finally Mr. Santa for a memorable click
3. Amethyst Mines - try your luck in mining the precious amethyst stone in the midst of nature's scenic surroundings
4. Korouoma frozen falls treck - short of words in describing this marvel; spectacle
5. Northern Lights - our learning was that this is not visible to the naked eye. It would look like normal clouds in the dark but the beauty is scintillating with a high resolution camera. Also, it lasts for 15 seconds, vanishes & then reappears. The cycle goes on for an hour or so and only fate can guarantee.
6. Snow fishing, Ice Floating, Authentic Skiing, Snow boarding are others which you can put your hands (and legs) onto. The list doesn't end here though.

Finally it comes down to the capital city Helsinki. As imagined it was filled with trams, buses, cabs, tourists filled with all the hustle and bustle. There are wonderful parks & footpaths that gives it a very aesthetic and gratifying look. The magnificent architectural buildings glorified the whole city. We boarded the cruise along the shores of Suomenlinna island & archipelago with audio giving us all the insights.

Friends, overall it was a life time memorable experience and a visual treat to the eyes. I hope the details provided gives you all the motivation to add this wonder to your To Do list??.

Signing off with fond memories of our paradise visit, wishing all of you the very best!