If there is one thing that defines me, it is the word traveller.  My husband and I are thick as thieves.  He gets equally excited when it comes to travelling.  If the sense of Fernweh is strong in me, the call of the north is even stronger.  So, after Svalbard, Norway, and Sweden, this girl made her way to Finland for a couple of weeks with her husband.

 

 

 

 

 

After a 17-hour journey to Helsinki, we found out that one of our suitcases didn’t make it there.   This is also when we found out how wonderful Finns are.   The gentleman from Finavia checked that our suitcase was en route and would be at Helsinki airport the next day.  Except, we were scheduled to leave Helsinki the next morning and would be on the road for two weeks.   Together, we decided that it would best if he could arrange for the suitcase to be forwarded to Rovaniemi airport.  We would pick it up from there within a couple of days.

Next morning, we got up at 4 AM for an early flight to Rovaniemi on a cool and foggy morning.

 

 

 

 

 

After collecting our car at Rovaniemi airport, we drove to the city center and, completely by happenstance, came upon this international street fair.  

 

 

 

 

 

 We desperately needed coffee by then.  We got a Rulla Pulla to share and two cups of coffee.  Rovaniemi is right at the Arctic Circle.  The chill in the air thrilled me immensely.   Despite the tiredness from ten hours of jet lag and the insanely early morning start, I found myself smiling ear to ear.  We walked around a bit more and then headed further north toward Inari.

 

 

 

 

 

Rovaniemi to Inari by car is four hours and the road is dotted with lakes and forests.  We stopped by a few lakes to break up the journey a little.

 

 

 

 

 

Our hotel was right by InariJärvi (Lake Inari).   I got us a room with a covered balcony so we could enjoy the view.  There was another not so obvious reason.  If there was any possibility of northern lights, I wanted to be able to spot it.

 

 

 

 

 

Before we left, I found out that a solar storm was heading our way.  There could be possible aurora sighting.   I had been watching the weather radar, and as forecast, the cloud suddenly cleared up and it became bright outside.

I headed out to walk around the lake while my husband went to check out the town and the market.  We often explore on our own and then meet up and share our findings.  We did another round of walking together before dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, I was watching the aurora forecast on my iPad.  I poked my head out the balcony and there it was, the telltale shimmer.  We promptly headed out toward a dark and safe area.

So here was the problem.  My camera and lenses were with me, but everything else camera-related was in the missing suitcase.  That meant I wouldn’t be able to use the stand and would have to take the photos handheld.  Thankfully, I know my camera and my own limitations fairly well.   So I adjusted the necessary settings on the camera and hoped for the best.  

 

 

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.

 

 

The promised solar storm brought bright and bold auroras that night.  As we were far up north, the aurora was up in the sky like fireworks.  We were surrounded by dancing lights, luminescent and shimmering.  Bright one moment, dimming away the next, only to come back twice as strong.   Pictures can’t really represent what we experienced that night.  

 

 

 

 

 

The overcast sky was back the next morning.   We drove further northward to explore the landscape with no idea what to expect.  We were outside the scope of information available about this area.  We found distant hills and meadows that had already turned autumn gold.

 

 

 

 

 

After about 1.5 hours of driving,  we stopped at the K-Market at Karigasniemi.  I found the most amazing chocolate covered grapefruit jam biscuits (cookies) to tide us over until we found a place to eat lunch.  We would have loved to go on, but we needed to drive back to Inari and then make the four-hour drive back to Rovaniemi after that. 

Once we got back to Inari, we got lunch, did a bit of souvenir shopping and made our way to Rovaniemi.

 

 

 

 

 

By now, the rain was back in full force, which made this lake and tree-studded landscape even more atmospheric.  The road here cuts through the lake, so there’s water on both sides.

We called from Inari about our lost suitcase and were assured that the suitcase was en route to Rovaniemi that morning.  So after dinner, we drove to the airport and found our naughty suitcase sitting there.  We gave it a mock scolding about going off on its own and getting lost.  It vehemently denied everything and said it found itself standing there all alone and confused.  Smiling about having all of our luggage together with us, we were all set for the rest of the journey.

 

 

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.

 

 

After a good night’s sleep and breakfast, we were on our way.   I love flat rye bread.  Over the course of our stay in the northern part of Finland, I had rye bread with cranberry, rye tar bread, and a sweet flavored rye bread.   We also had cloudberry jam with squeaky cheese.  I don’t take food photos, but now I wish I had.

From Rovaniemi, instead of going directly to Kajaani, we decided to first go east to Oulu.   Once there, we meandered through the streets toward the market square.  We came across these red wooden storehouses dotting the area.  Some had been converted to restaurants, while others looked like offices.

 

 

 

 

 

We walked back toward our car though this lovely city park set by the water and started on our way to Kajaani.    It is a long way from the north of Finland to the southern part and Kajaani was a good midpoint.  

 

 

 

 

 

Next morning, before we left Kajaani, we visited the castle ruin.   Instead of taking the direct path, we decided to take the wooded path.  Then came the rain.  Thundering, blustering rain, and we had left our umbrellas in the car.  We stood under a tree for a while then decided to run back to the hotel.  At the car, after drying ourselves, we headed back out toward the castle once again, this time with umbrellas.  You should know that rain hasn’t EVER stopped us.

 

 

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos.

 

 

The castle ruin is certainly not a grand one.  However, set by the Kajaaninjoki River, we found it fascinating and evocative.  I read somewhere that it is the world’s northernmost castle ruin.  That wet day it was easy to imagine how harsh life must have been there.  We walked all around it, carefully climbing the wet and slippery stone stairs to see the upstairs.  No castle exploration is complete until we have also walked the outer perimeter.

As we were walking toward the car, the rain came down even harder than before, this time with a strong wind in tow.  Elated and smiling, we changed our rain-soaked clothes for dry ones and departed Kajaani toward Savonlinna.

 

 

 

 

With that, we left the north behind.   Our travel from here on will change from excursion to historical.

 

Until next time,
-Soma

 

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