Unique Lapland: country of wonders within the Polar circle
...directing way to the village of Santa Claus where Christmas fires have never gone down.
Cultural province Lapland spread along the banks of the Arctic Ocean evolving the territories of Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Whatever flag has been raising under the white silence, the true masters of transpolar region has always remained Laplanders-Sami, the numerically insignificant Finnish and Ugrian tribe of hunters and reindeer-breeders. The youth with the first opportunity moves from the cattle camps to the cities, however, the older generation stands fast the traditional habits.
Photo carrier.co.uk
The national crafts of Sami are popular due to the efforts of a gifted artist Iren Kangasniemi. Her joyful studio in Lapland capital Rovaniemi is well-known to everybody who was seeking for the original hand-made souvenirs. The friendly household willingly teaches all who wants to know the niceties of work with the horn, leather, and bone, while upon the accomplishment of the workshop she feeds her students with the strong brewed coffee and home-made cookies.
The sacral sense of Sami patterns will be explained in the ethnographic museum ‘Arcticum’ where the interactive expositions dedicated to the hard destiny of the nations of Arctic Circle. Near the museum complex the unique sight of amusement ‘Snowy tube’ is functioning that does not have equal ones in the world. In the thickness of snow the winding tunnel in the length of 172 meters has been put that led to the bank of the river Ounasyoki. The circumspect light fights out the fantastic palette of the shades of the rich cover of eternal ever-frost. It is not surprising that in Finland there are a lot of original artists who virtuously know the sophisticated language of undertones. The curious collections of landscapes of Finnish masters are saved in the museum Syarestennemi in Kaukonemi and in the gallery Raekallo in Pentso.
Photo telegraph.co.uk
In the evening one may come to the Theatre of Polar light to savor the magic dances of blue and green splashes in the impenetrable darkness of polar night. At the first play many spectators will immerse into Shamanic trans and leave the audience being stung with ecstatic desire to follow the snake-like line of illusive lights in the unknown country beyond the horizon. However, the prudent Finnish people will not allow to the fans of Northern aurora to get frozen in the boreal forest as for the savoring polar light in the resort zones the well-furnished igloo-hotels with the glass ceiling are opened. The amorous couples longing for the adrenaline buzz are spending nights in the luxury bedrooms of Snowy Castle at the bank of Gulf of Bothnia in Kemi. It is not important that conjugal bed, utensil and the walls with the molding are carved from the packed ice, and young fervor warmed with the mysterious twinkle of icing lamp defeat the severe frost.
Photo nordicvisitor.com
According to Sami legend, ‘Christmas old man’ Youlupukki aka Santa Claus lives in the cave surrounded with the funny retinue of pixies and dwarfs, the official residence in the outskirts of Lapland capital was got by Santa by happenstance. Particularly, in 1950 the favorite character of children was given with the nice logged cottage at the line of polar circle where Eleanor Roosevelt during the inspecting trip in Rovaniemi. Soon nearby the post department of Youlupukki appeared, while in ten years around the house the Village of Santa Clause was built considered as the most luxury thematic park of the planet.
The master of estate accepts visitors in Christmas house at the central square of the settlement while somewhere far the workshops are situated where you will be helped to make gifts for the friends under the guidance of Santa’s assistants and move through the course of education at the School of pixies. For the adrenaline hunters safari at the snowmobile is organized as well as breath-taking races at the dog sled while for the unhasting savoring the beauty of untouched landscapes there is nothing better than having a good walk in sledge drawn by staid deer. Only in the half an hour of arrival to the magnificent village the famous waterfall Auttinkengas is situated where the forest was sent to the Great land. The petrified splashes of water form filigree patterns around the stone ledges the gutters carved for descent of logs are visible.
Photo snowmobilepark.com
However, if it had not been for the charming fair of wonders under the high-sounding label in the suburbs of Lapland capital, one would have imagined the kind magician in a red cap. The travel along the Lapland awakens in the memory the touching expectancy of wonder having which you used to come to the New Year tree in the morning on the first of January. The magnificence of primordial forests covered with the silver lace of frost, gives a thought about the ancient magic protecting the tenancy of Sami.
The comfortable Arctic resorts of Inari, Levi, Yullyas, Iso-Suete, and Saariselkya promise breath-taking adventures at the wild nature! The flat tuffets are benevolent to the beginning downhill skiers while the industry of après-ski fascinates with the local bright color. The trips are the rackets along the reservation lands of national parks and conservations, trips at the deer farms Kemiyarvi, lilac sparks of amethysts at the slopes of semiprecious mine Lampivaara in Luosto and chasing echo of gold rush in the isolated village Tankavaara… Have not you dreamt of that in the childhood reading the novels of Jack London?
Photo holidayhypermarket.co.uk
Definitely, Lapland is much better than staying at Alaska! For the sake of sup of romantics one should not avoid the amenities of civilization while a man is a friend to a man, as well as fellow and brother as in the taiga wintering for each confused travelers there are some food and firewood prepared. The lost world in the Arctic Circle does not want to let dear guests go. You will certainly return here in the spring, summer or autumn covering yourself with the alpinist equipment for the investigation of inaccessible canyons of boisterous Northern rivers, however, it will be absolutely another story…
Cover photo netweather.tv
