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Lapland and the Northern Lights

I have never had a bucket list (possibly because old age feels at least 10 years away); but when I revealed to friends that I was headed to Finland to catch the Northern Lights, the first response I received was: “Bucket list!”

I have never had a bucket list (possibly because old age feels at least 10 years away); but when I revealed to friends that I was headed to Finland to catch the Northern Lights, the first response I received was: “Bucket list!”

Who knew Finland was such a popular entry? At any rate, I soon found myself in Levi, in the Lapland region of Finland. Levi’s location makes it ideal to explore Lapland — various attractions in the area are a short bus ride away.

SNOW DEVILS

I stayed at the Levi Spirit — 15 minutes from Kittila Airport and just a short walk from the River Ounas — which has two-storey villas surrounded by forest, and feels sufficiently secluded that I don’t have to lock the doors when I leave the room.

Still, Levi is far from just a tranquil place, especially when one of the highlights of the trip involved loud swearing while scrambling for dear life: Yes, I’m talking about the double whammy that is a Finnish sauna followed by ice swimming. People do that — repeatedly.

Forget the warm onsens in Hokkaido in winter, this was on a totally different level. Stripping down to my skivvies in sub-zero temperatures was merely a warm-up: The real challenge was leaving the heat of the sauna and heading out into the frigid night air. My destination? A small, ominously-lit hatch at the bottom of a snow-covered hill, where I submerged my entire body in ice-cold water before heading back up the hill into the sauna.

There’s no time for cold feet — the journey there and back can be over in less than a few minutes. Even so, it felt like an eternity as I clambered up the hill on all fours, desperately trying to find purchase in the snow. But re-entering the warm embrace of the sauna, with expletives spilling from my mouth, I realised just how amazing I felt. A wild grin spread across my face, as I readied myself to head out again — once my ice-numbed feet stopped stinging.

What I did was far from the most hardcore: A pair of Australians performed what was dubbed the “double Aussie, double dip, double d***-down snow angel”. I can’t even describe what it is in mere words, suffice it to say that it is exactly as devilish as it sounds. (And I’m pretty sure there is a video of it out there in the online universe, if anyone actually dared post it.)

REINDEER ARE BETTER THAN PEOPLE

If that exercise seems a little too extreme for you, perhaps a tender kiss from a reindeer might make things right, which is what went down at the Levi Husky Park (no, my wife doesn’t need to know the details). A reindeer kissing booth isn’t the only attraction at the park, of course: There’s a wolf-dog that starred in a Lorde music video, a fluffy arctic fox saved from a fur farm and the star attraction — huskies.

Husky sled rides are another amazing experience that doesn’t require you to be an adrenaline junkie. A quick jolt and the huskies were in full flight, their constant barking silenced once they were on the move. Joy descended upon me as we went dashing through the snow, the quiet of the beautiful scenery rushing past, disturbed only by the sound of paws making their way across the snowscape.

Need something faster? You can rent a snowmobile which will take you through stunning snow-covered vistas, with the evening sun setting the sky afire. Or satisfy your need for speed by going on an ice kart. You can do laps around a snow-covered track with customised go-karts fitted with studded tyres. This is the perfect place to master drifting; and you’re just one spin-out away from crashing into a pile of snow — unless you’re Kimi Raikkonen, of course.

A LAND OF CULTURE AND LIGHT

It isn’t all about adventure when you’re in Lapland. The place is steeped in culture. The indigenous Saami people still practice their old traditions here, and if you have a sharp eye, you will be able to spot a Saami man bearing a ceremonial knife while dressed in contemporary clothes.

But one of the best ways to immerse yourself is to have dinner with them. Enjoying a Saami meal is a deep, enriching experience. Whether the Saami welcomes you with a joik (a traditional song usually detailing their history and accompanied with hand drums) or whether you have a meal in a traditional kota (a Saami hut), every meal we had was infused with Saami culture.

If you can, sit down and discuss Saami history around a fire in a kota, as you’re served non-alcoholic house beer (it’s not bad, really) and tuck into a wonderful meal of reindeer meat (my new favourite) and mashed potatoes. After that, sit around a kammi (a traditional Saami earth lodge), as the warmth in your heart rises — not from the warm lingonberry juice they offer, but the hospitality of your Saami hosts. Also, don’t forget to ask about the witches, as there’s a rich and colourful history of shamanism in Lapland.

But the one thing that many come to Lapland to see doesn’t involve sorcery of any sort, just good timing: The Northern Lights. The first night proved to be a dud, so on the second night, I headed out with my camera phone into the cold, despite knowing that solar activity was weak.

The clear night sky, decorated with countless constellations, lit my way. But beyond the stars, there was nothing. Well, nothing like the pictures of the aurora borealis I’d seen. With some inspiration — but mostly desperation — I set my smartphone camera for long exposure, shooting into the night sky in an attempt to capture something, anything, that my naked eye could not see.

I knelt in the cold trying setting after setting (it was -9°C that night) and then I had it: The faint green wisps of the Northern Lights. And although I didn’t see anything with the naked eye — so bucket list not quite checked — a local confirmed the next day that the Northern Lights did appear that night. Three short days in Lapland left me not just with memories and Instagrams, I also departed with a bucket list etched in my mind.

And at the very top? “Return to Finland and catch the Northern Lights.”

This trip was made possible by Nokia. All photos were taken on a Nokia Lumia 1020. Check out more pictures on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #lumiainlapand.

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