Lapland trip !
- adufumiering2024
- 22 avr. 2022
- 5 min de lecture
Since the beginning of our Erasmus, we were looking forward to this moment. We had planned this trip all together (with the Vilnius guys). We were very impatient and had a lot of expectations about this trip. So in this vlog we will tell you all our adventures.
The departure
The story begins on Friday 18th in the evening. The departure is planned for 23h and all our suitcases are ready. We took all our warmest clothes because we know that it will be very cold. For the anecdote we had even taken our comforters for the bus. The first night in the bus goes well. We are excited to discover a lot of things but at the same time a little bit anxious about the bus trip that is waiting for us. Indeed, we had three days and two nights to spend in the bus because of some detours to visit. Our first stop was in Tallinn. We have the day to visit before taking the ferry to Helsinki. We were able to enjoy the city, eat in a very typical restaurant. The waiters were even dressed in period costume. We could even take the opportunity to go and see the sea and call our families in front of this idyllic setting.
It was then time to go to the ferry. The boat was very big with restaurants, bars, stores and even a casino. We visited the boat and enjoyed the view from the dock. We also took the opportunity to try to clean ourselves because we had no access to the showers during the whole trip.
Once we arrived in Helsinki, we took the bus again for another uncomfortable night. The landscape started to be snowed and more and more beautiful.
Around 9am, we took a short break to visit an ice castle. It was very impressive because we are not used to see such ice sculptures. The following pictures show it very well.
After the ice castle, we stopped at Santa Claus village. To be honest, it was not very good, we were a little disappointed. The village was empty and there were no activities. Logical, the Christmas period was over.
After these two visits, we only had a few hours of bus to finally arrive on the site where we will stay. It is thus around 8 pm that we arrived at Saariselkä. We could enjoy the sunset with a sublime landscape. We were very relieved to finally arrive and to finally be able to sleep in real beds. The week could begin.
THE FIRST DAY
When we woke up, we realized that we had not taken any activities for Monday.
To explain, the initial price of the trip includes only the travel and accommodation. We then had to register and pay in advance for the activities of our choice.
So, since we had no activities planned, we immediately wanted to go skiing. So we went with Matisse and Benjamin. All four of us had already done it even if it had been a long time for some of us.
We went to rent our equipment and spent an incredible afternoon. We also realized how lucky we were, we were together, at the top of a ski run, in Lapland. What could be better for a first day?
Well yes, there is better: complete this day with the Northern Lights. This is not the only reason why we came to Lapland but we still hoped to see some. Normally, an excursion was planned the next day. But we also wanted to try this day to put the most chance on our side. We went up to the top of a hill to have more chance to see them. It was really cold. The first hour there was nothing. But we waited and waited, it's not every day that we have the chance to see some. And then very quickly, a trace appeared. Everyone screams for joy. That's it, we see the first aurora borealis of our life. We try to take pictures individually in front of this spectacle by using the best phone.
And this is how this first day ends. We have stars in our eyes and memories that will remain forever in our memory. We fall asleep exhausted but very grateful for the chance we have and we are looking forward to the next part of our trip.
SECOND DAY
For the second day, we had signed up for cross-country skiing. It was the first time we tried this sport. We were quite confident since we knew how to ski. But the reality is that it is not the same at all. The skis are very thin and because they follow rails, it is impossible to brake without planting the poles. But with the cold, it was very hard to plant the poles because the snow was icy. The turns were also very hard. Pauline only fell a few times and I fell at the very end, which gave me a broken tailbone. I still have pain...
To conclude once again this beautiful day, we went back to see the northern lights and you know what? There were still a lot of them. It was once again wonderful, we never get tired of seeing this phenomenon.
THIRD DAY
On this third day, we decided once again to live this trip to the fullest and we went back, just Pauline and me, to surf on the snow. Once again, it was magical, both the landscapes and the sensations. We enjoyed it all day long before going back home to eat and quickly getting ready for a night snowshoeing trip. It was another beautiful moment, we laughed, we sat in the snow as a group realizing how beautiful the calm and purity of the woods were.
FOURTH DAY
The fourth day was the day of departure. We took the opportunity to go to a wellness center before starting the long bus ride that awaited us. We were even able to take a last shower, dry ourselves and brush our hair. It is thus clean that we went up in the bus.
THE RETURN
The return trip took a total of 9 days. We came back exhausted but so happy to have lived this experience and to have shared it with friends.
OUR FEELING
It is very hard to describe all the feelings we had during this trip. We enjoyed every minute and even every second. The trip is still too recent to fully realize all that happened. But the more time passes the more we appreciate this trip. We recommend without hesitation to all the people who can brave the cold to live this experience and have a lot of fun.
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