FABLES FROM FINLAND

Getting across the Arctic Circle… on a Recce to Rovaniemi

This impromptu summer sojourn happened to be a precursor to helping plan a more elaborate winter adventure to Lapland.

It was a hot Sunday morning, and we were just outside the center of Rovaniemi. Google Maps tends to confuse more often than not, so we decided to trust our instincts as we ventured further. Most of the shops that we passed by were closed, and there was not a soul in sight. Then we saw a middle-aged woman crossing the road, two bags in hand.

We waited to ask her a question or two, once she had crossed. She was kind enough to respond to our queries and also give us an overview of the city she was born in. We thought we were bothering her a bit too much, and attempted to excuse ourselves and let her resume what she was doing. She remained unperturbed.

“I don’t have much to do anyways,” she said, before going ahead to help in every way possible. From giving directions to our hotel to helping us with the only supplies store that would be open on a Sunday, to suggesting the better restaurants and also a checklist of things to do…she went out of her way to help us out. Even as we expressed our gratitude she responded in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

“I have told you things like I am an expert on Rovaniemi. But I am not. I live in Helsinki, and come here once a year to visit my parents. So don’t go by everything I have said. Make your own choices,” she said, before walking off. We were grateful anyway and headed towards our hotel.

Tervetuloa to the train

In my previous post I had described how my better half and I managed to catch our train at the last minute. It was the Santa Claus Express. We had booked the VR-Group-operated double-decker night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi. The idea was pretty simple, and to a great extent on predictable lines. There was albeit a slight twist.

While we planned to venture into the Finnish Lapland, visit the official home of Santa Claus, cross the Arctic Circle and have a good couple of days, there was another agenda. This impromptu summer trip to Rovaniemi was more of a recce, a precursor to an elaborate winter adventure that we plan to undertake sometime in the future. Besides, it was also about enjoying this 12-hour journey. So the best possible tervetuloa (welcome) to the train had been ensured.

We had availed the best available locomotive option. In a bid to ensure maximum comfort and make the journey memorable, we booked a deluxe sleeper cabin, with a private (convertible) bathroom. It was a small chamber upstairs, with two bunk beds, and the basic stuff required during the journey. Once we had taken care of the luggage, we headed straight to the restaurant.

We had been on the move for many hours, and it involved multiple changes in transport. As such, there had been no time to focus on the calorie count and have a decent meal. While not missing the train was a priority, it also meant we were bereft of choices when it came to dinner. There was no time to buy food either. The only option was the one on board.

It was a swanky car with comfortably laid-out seating arrangements. It is a great place to sit and savor a cup of coffee, or enjoy a drink or two. But we were famished. My better half opted for meatballs and mashed potatoes while I ordered fish soup. To say it was disappointing would be an understatement. It was a pre-cooked meal that was only warmed and served. That being said, when you are hungry, the quality of food is the last thing you care about.

Insomniac by choice

Once we had made our way back to the cabin, my better half dozed off in quick time. Fatigue had made me miserable as well. But there was excitement surrounding this long-in-the-making locomotive experience. Besides, the little seat by the window was too tempting. It ensured I could not take to bed immediately, as planned. During summer, the light in this part of the world is pretty great well past midnight. So I began enjoying the natural scenery and got some breathtaking visuals.

The town Riihimäki, a place I have been to before, was the first major stop. I also had a glimpse of the Tavastia/Häme Castle even as the train passed Hämeenlinna. Unfortunately, sitting inside a fast moving train nullified the prospects of using the camera to good effect. In fact, it is a lot easier to take photographs from a flight window. It’s a little over three hours later that the train reached Tampere. This was a lengthy stopover. I tried to sleep but…

I have been to Tampere before. As such, while planning this elaborate trip I had conveniently excluded it, much to the chagrin of my better half— who was keen on making a day trip to Nokia. You read it right. Besides the telecommunications giant, there is also an ‘inspirational’ town by this name. That being said, the elaborate layover in Tampere was about calm.

Once those who were travelling to the city had got off the train, and a few others had boarded, it appeared a deserted place. While looking around at whatever was possible from my cabin window, I could only see two officials walking on the adjacent platform. It was a couple of hours past midnight and there was hardly a soul in sight. As I looked across the platforms and beyond the road, I finally saw the silhouette of someone in the distant lane. It was perhaps a restaurant staff member doing some leftover work.

The train finally left Tampere and shortly after, I pulled the shutter down and hit the bed. It was an attempt to force myself to take some rest, something that I failed to a great extent. While I didn’t get out of bed for a couple of hours, I just could not sleep. Eventually, I got up and made use of the shower to a good effect. Feeling fresh and recharged, despite having endured a sleepless night, I pulled the shutter up again.

A few small towns and villages passed by before the train reached Oulu, the last major stop before the final station. The sun was shining brightly again as we headed to the on-board restaurant. Starting the day with a bean drink is a habit. It doesn’t matter if you are at home or on the road. The big windows of the restaurant enhanced the visual elements of the places the train passed along subsequently. The announcement related to the arrival was soon made, and it was a matter of time before the overnight train reached Rovaniemi.

Synonymous with Santa

Within a few minutes, we had reached outside of the centre, and interacted with the affable middle-aged woman mentioned at the beginning. As we thanked her and walked along to the centre there was one name that was conspicuous by its presence. Honestly, it seems a great branding strategy to name businesses after someone synonymous with the city per se.

That being said, it is also a fact that Rovaniemi goes a bit overboard with it. So, as you walk along you get to see an assembly line of establishments named Santa’s Döner, Santa Hair, Santa Hotel… Get the drift. Thankfully, our hotel had a different name. It was an unusually hot day and checking in brought a sense of relief. After a bit of relaxation though, we booked a cab.

As we came to the reception area and waited for the cab, there was no one else but the reception manager. A native to Rovaniemi, she admitted that the city was also suffering from the adverse effects that result from global warming, and that the mercury going in excess of 30°C in the summer months had become a norm in recent years. It was 32°C that afternoon but we pushed through with our plans nonetheless.

It was in less than 10 minutes that we had reached what happens to be every traveller’s first destination when in Rovaniemi, and where all of the eponymous branding strategy makes a lot more sense. Yes, we had expectedly made our way to the Santa Claus Village (Joulupukin Pajakylä in Finnish).

Meeting Father Christmas and crossing the Arctic

You may know him as Father Nicholas, Saint Nicholas, Joulupukki or simply as Santa Claus. A meeting with the white-bearded man in his original home is on the wish-list of many, and we were on the verge of realizing ours. Considering we were paying a visit in the deemed off-season, the waiting time was limited. In fact, we ended up spending more time with Santa. It was palpably a casual affair and one particularly memorable moment was when he pointed out that he was wearing only a single pair of socks that day. Even Santa feels the heat eh!

It took some time to regain composure and settle down to the fact that a wish had been fulfilled. As soon as we had made our way out of the office, it was time to indulge in some hop, skip and jump on the Arctic Circle line. After hanging around in the village for some time, and making up our minds to return again in winter, we made our way back to the hotel, hit the sauna, headed for an early dinner followed by a well-deserved rest.

Day Two was about exploring the other things that Rovaniemi had to offer. The Arktikum Science Museum, the Korundi House of Culture, the impressive Lumberjack Candle Bridge (Jätkänkynttilä in Finnish)— Finland’s first cable-stayed bridge, across the Kemijoki river and the Rovaniemi Church — that was burned in 1944 but subsequently restored in 1950, designed by architect Bertil Liljequist. It is imperative to reiterate that we were wandering across the city in the summer months. Come winter, and there are lots of activities for a traveller/tourist to engage in.

Having covered what was possible in the ambit of possibility, we made our way back to Lordi’s Square in the city centre and settled down in what had become our favorite coffee shop during this sojourn. In fact, as we relished the bean drink, we kept reflecting that keeping a couple of days aside for a recce to Rovaniemi had indeed been a smart decision.

We’ll be back but…

It is a matter of time before we go ahead with our plans for a more elaborate vacation in Rovaniemi in the winter months. That being said, it was time to wrap up this short trip. The railway station is small with a single cafe, and there was a long wait before we got onto the Santa Claus Express. However, it was not the same thing any more.

It was about having an experience that we had in the first instance. All the excitement had gone now. Instead, it was just another lengthy train ride. Making matters worse were noisy tourists from the Middle East in the adjacent cabin, as also the fact that the walls aren’t sound resistant, and you can hear things quite clearly.

We put on headphones for good effect, had dinner — picked up en route to the station so as not to head into the on-board restaurant again, and waited patiently for the noise to subside. The train made a lengthy stop at Oulu and once it moved again, we pulled the shutter down.

While I had spent a sleepless night while boarding from Helsinki, I slept soundly while heading back to the Finnish capital. As regards my better half, suffice to say there is at least someone in the family who doesn’t have to deal with the scourge of insomnia. The rest was required to recharge the energy levels for further adventures.

There is no doubt that we will make our way to Lapland again. However, the next time we head to Rovaniemi we will prefer to fly.